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GENESIS. 


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FRANZ    DELITZSCII,    D.D., 


LEIPZIG. 


STransIatetJ  '^^a 
SOPHIA    TAYLOE. 


VOL.  11. 


SCRIBNEE     &     WELFORD, 
748   AND  745   BROADWAY, 

NEW    YORK. 
1889. 


VI. 


THE  TOLEDOTH  OF  TERAH,  XL   27-XXV.   11— 

continual. 

PROMISE  OF  AN  HEIR  AND  THE  PROMISE  OF  THE  LAND 
CONFIRMED  BY  A  COVENANT,  CH.  XV. 

Two  solemn  revelations  open  in  ch.  xv.  the  second  section  of 
the  life  of  Abraham.  The  narrative  falls  into  two  halves.  It 
is  impossible  to  regard  all  from  beginning  to  end  as  occurring 
in  vision.  Eor  (1)  if  one  revelation  takes  place  at  night,  or 
at  least  with  a  transposition  to  night,  the  other  is  made  in 
the  day,  and  indeed  at  eventide,  the  sun  being  at  ver.  12 
about  to  set,  and  at  ver.  17  actually  set.  And  (2)  the  account 
of  Abraham's  believing  reception  of  the  promise  of  a  posterity 
numerous  as  the  stars  of  heaven  ver.  6  separates  what  pre- 
ceded from  what  follows,  which  though  it  appears  from  the 
vi'X  ")CX"'l,  7a,  to  have  immediately  succeeded,  has  yet  its  own 
special  introduction.  Dillmann  here  carries  analysis  even 
farther  beyond  the  bounds  of  the  discernible  than  Wellhausen 
does.  The  safest  criterion  from  Gen.  i.  to  Ex.  vi.,  and  one 
which  must  only  be  relinquished  for  cogent  reasons,  is  the 
Divine  names.  The  use  of  these  is  in  both  halves  of  ch.  xv. 
the  same.  In  both  rrin''  is  the  prevailing  one,  and  with  it 
occurs  once  in  each  nin''  ""ins,  to  be  read  according  to  the 
punctuation  Ci'^ripx  ""yix,  a  combination  of  Divine  names  which, 
thus  written,  is  unusual.  This  nin""  "'iix,  here  twice  used, 
gives  to  this  historical  picture  in  its  two  departments,  as  to 
the  prophetic  image,  Isa.  1.  4-9,  where  it  is  four  times  used, 
its  own  peculiar  stamp ;  and  as  this  nin""  "iJlN  is  only  found 

VOL.  II.  A 


2  GENESIS  XV,  1. 

elsewhere  in  the  Pentateuch  at  Dent.  iii.  24,  ix.  26,  it  may 
be  conchided  that  it  is  Jahvistic.  Dilhuann  has  in  his  5  th 
edition  dehberately  omitted  his  former  view,  that  mn^  had 
been  added  by  B  to  the  original  ""jis  of  B  (xx.  4,  but  there 
in  the  address).  Equally  weak  is  also  Wellhausen's  assertion 
{Composition  dcs  Hcxatciiclis,  i  413),  that  ""jx  and  Ur  Kasdim 
are  not  Jahvistic."  Ur  Kasdim  is  not  Jahvistic,  if  it  is  here 
denied  to  J,  which  is  but  an  arbitrary  assertion  and  not  a 
proof  (see  on  xi,  31);  and  '•js*  in  the  formula  nin''  •>:»<  is  so 
stereotyped  (see  on  vi.  17)  as  to  be  common  to  every  Penta- 
teuchal  source  ;  it  is  Deuteronomic,  xxix.  5,  and  also  Jahvistic, 
Gen.  xxviii.  13.  The  reference,  too,  xxiv.  7,  to  the  covenant 
promise,  xv.  18,  and  the  list  of  the  ten  nations,  xv.  19  sq., 
point  to  J  as  the  narrator.  The  latter  is  indeed  unique  in 
this  completeness,  though  still  most  akin  to  the  list  of  seven, 
Deut.  vii,  1  ;  comp.  Josh.  iii.  10,  which  also  closes  with  ^dhti. 
Nevertheless,  ch.  xv.  is  not  throughout  by  J,  ver.  2  being 
undoubtedly  derived  from  another  source,  probably  from  E. 
Also  in  consideration  of  ''"}'^>i^i7  as  a  synecdochical  designation 
of  the  ancient  population  of  Canaan,  which  is  one  of  the 
tokens  of  the  older  Elohist,  it  may  obviously  be  assumed  that 
the  narrative  of  the  covenant  sacrifice  with  its  explanation 
was  originally  found  in  E,  and  derived  in  its  present  form 
from  JE.  Dillmann's  opinion,  that  B  inserted  the  glance  at 
the  future,  vv.  12-16,  "from  his  own  resources,"  must  be 
rejected,  if  only  because  the  Divine  directions  stand  in 
symbolic  relation  to  the  disclosures  which  follow  them.  It 
cannot  be  inferred  either  from  t^i^n  (see  the  Introd.  to  ch.  xiv.) 
or  from  nnm  nn-ba,  which  occurs  only  once  more  in  the 
Pentateuch,  xxv.  8,  that  Q  had  any  share  in  fashioning  the 
material  of  the  narrative. 

A  Divine  revelation  is  made  to  Abraham,  which  is  con- 
nected with  the  conflict  he  has  just  victoriously  waged,  ver.  1 : 
After  these  events  the  word  of  Jahvcli  came  to  Ahram  in  a 
vision,  thus :  Fear  not,  Abram  :  I  am  thy  shield,  thy  revxird  is 


GENESIS  XV.  2.  3 

very  great.  The  parenthetical  formula  n>ixn  D"'"i2'nn  nns  (here 
and  xxii.  1,  20,  xxxix.  7,  xl.  1,  xlviii.  1)  states  tliat  what  is 
to  be  related  followed  what  preceded  after  the  lapse  of  some 
undefined  time.  The  revelation  f^jri^?,  which  is  confined  to 
no  time  of  the  day,  is  a  step  higher  than  oipna.  Abram  is  to 
have  no  fear  in  the  midst  of  his  strange  and  hostile  surround- 
ing, for  Jahveh  is  his  shield  (the  consolatory  figure  is  repeated, 
Deut.  xxxiii.  29).  Luther  translates  farther:  and  (I  am)  thy 
very  great  reward.  But  God  does  not  give  Himself  to  him 
as  a  reward  (comp.  Wisd.  v.  15,  ev  Kvplw  6  fx,La9o<i  avrcov), 
but  promises  him  one,  and  that  very  great, — only  so  can 
Abram's  answer  be  understood,  ver.  2  :  And  Ahrani  said, 
0  Jahveh,  Lord  of  all,  what  ivilt  Tliou  give  me,  since  I  depart 
childless,  and  the  inheritor  of  my  house  is  Damascus  (is)  Eliczcr. 
A  contrasted  adverbial  sentence  begins,  as  at  xviii.  13,  with 
^ribxi.  "Depart"  is  certainly  meant,  as  at  xxv.  32,  2  Cliron. 
xxi.  20,  Ps.  xxxix.  14,  and  frequently,  of  death.  "^y^V  in  itself 
means  "alone,"  "lonely,"  here  childless,  like  Lev.  xx.  20  sq. 
"With  Abram  all  the  fulness  of  the  Divine  blessing  falls  into 
the  background  in  presence  of  his  childlessness  at  that  time  ;  a 
man  who  is  not  his  own  flesh  and  blood  having  every  prospect 
of  being  his  heir.  The  unusual  pt?p  is  used  to  symphonize 
with  P'f^"^.  ■  The  evident  intention  protects  p:^*b^  (xin)  from 
the  suspicion  of  being  a  gloss  (Hitzig,  Tuch,  Olshausen).  The 
LXX.  has  tlie  unmeaning  vio^  MaaeK;  Syr.  Targ.  Jer.  IL 
prefer  leaving  out  the  not  understood  p'j'D ;  others,  apparently 
deriving  it,  according  to  the  formation  i"i??,  from  pp'^},  "  to  run 
about  busily,"  translate :  son  of  my  household  business  (Onk. 
Targ.  Jer.  I.  Samar.  Theod.)  =  my  steward,  for  which  we  should 
rather  have  expected  p'^^  ?y?,  or:  filius  procuratoris  domus 
meoe  (Jer.  comp.  Luth.),  but  PP'O  in  this  concrete  sense  is, 
though  possible,  improbable.  The  verb  pt^o,  cXu*a!  (related  to 
^K'o),  which,  as  stem  of  p*^p,  is  nearest,  means,  to  draw  to  one- 
self, to  seize,  to  take  posse^sion_  of,  as  is  evident  from  P^P?, 
Zeph.  ii.  9  ;  and  P.^'^'if  is  the  correct  expression  for  one  who 


4  GENESIS  XV.  2. 

has  the  reversion  or  right  of  taking  possession.  Thus  the 
inheritor  of  my  house  is  "^.J^''^'.^  Pj^?"^.  Lagarde  views  pb'DT  as 
a  prefixed  apposition  in  the  sense  of  the  Arabic  ^Jkj^ll  ^A^iJ 
(according  to  Kamus,  one  is  nimble  with  his  hands),  but  this 
would  yield  a  eulogy  of  Eliezer,  not  an  allusion  to  his 
position.  Dillmann,  in  accordance  with  Ew.  §  286c,  places 
the  two  words  in  genitival  relation :  the  son  of  possession  of 
my  house  is  Damascus  of  Eliezer ;  but  the  subject  aimed  at  is 
surely  not  the  town,  but  the  person  whose  rightful  home  it  is. 
If  however  the  narrator  intended  to  say :  Eliezer  who  is  of 
Damascus  (Ges.  Lehrgeh.  p.  648),  pb'DT  iry^^s  would  be  required 
in  the  reverse  order  (like  2  Sam.  xxiii.  24  ;  comp.  on  Prov. 
XXX.  1).  There  is  thus  notliing  left  but  to  take  ity^x  as  the 
more  closely  defining  permutative  of  pb'DT  :  the  inheritor  of 
my  house  is  Damascus  is  Eliezer,  It  is  just  because  the 
latter  is  aimed  at  that  it  is  not  said  pL"'n"n3,  as  might  have 
been  expected  if  pC'OT  had  been  the  main  subject.^  The  sense 
is  clear :  Damascus  will  inherit  me,  i.e.  in  the  person  of  Eliezer, 
viz.  (comp,  1  Chron.  ii.  34  sq,)  the  Damascene,  The  Moslem 
tradition  calls  Abram's  servant  exactly  ^J!L^d,  Diinask,  regards 
him  according  to  the  Arabic  view  as  an  Abyssinian,  and  says 
that  he  built  Damascus  and  called  it  after  his  own  name 
{DMZ.  xvi,  701  sq.).  Profane  history  is  acquainted  with  a 
sojourn  of  Abram  at  Damascus  on  his  journey  from  Chaldea 
to  Canaan.  Justinus  the  epitomizer  of  Trogus  names  Abrani 
as  one  of  the  ancient  kings  of  Damascus  (xxxvi.  2) ;  and 
Nicolaus  Damascenus  (in  Josephus,  Ant.  i.  7,  comp.  Fragm., 
ed.  Orclli,  p,  114)  says  in  B.  iv,  of  his  Universal  History  that 
"Abram,  a  foreigner  who  had  come  thither  with  an  army 
from  the  so-called  land  of  Chaldea  above  Babylon,  ruled  in 
Damascus.  Xot  long  afterwards  he  went  forth  and  trans- 
planted himself  hence  (Damascus)  with  his  people  to  the  land 

1  The  view  that  p{J>Ol  XIH  is  a  marginal  gloss  to  pb'O,  which  has  got  into 
the  text  (see  Driver  in  the  Expositor,  vii.  6),  makes  the  words  the  result  of 
an  incompreheusible  silliness. 


GENESIS  XV.  3-5.  5 

now  called  Judrea,  then  Canaan,  where  his  descendants  became 
very  numerous."  "  The  name  of  Abram,"  adds  Josephus,  "  is 
still  held  in  great  honour  in  Damascus,  and  a  village  owing  its 
origin  to  him  is  shown  and  called  Abram's  dwelling  {'A^pdfj.ov 
oiKijat^;)."  Perhaps  Berzat-el-Chalil,  "  the  marriage  tent  of 
Abraham,"  is  meant,  a  village  which  lies  one  league  north  of 
Damascus,  where  the  ravine  of  the  Wadi  Macrabd  opens  into 
the  'GiUa,  and  where  the  memorial  day  of  the  patriarch's 
wedding,  a  popular  festival  of  the  Damascenes,  is  annually 
kept  in  spring  (Wetzstein  in  DMZ.  xxii.  105),  so  vivid  is  still 
the  remembrance  of  Abram  in  and  around  Damascus.  He  is 
the  most  renowned  of  all  the  great  men  of  antiquity  in  the 
mouths  of  the  Bedouin  tribes  of  the  neighbourhood,  who,  if 
asked  concerning  their  religion,  call  themselves  Din  Ibrd  Mm. 
Ver.  2  is  followed  by  the  same  saying  of  Abraham  in  a  more 
comprehensible  form,  ver.  3  :  And  AhraJiam  said :  Behold, 
to  me  hast  Thou  given  no  seed :  and,  lo,  the  son  of  my  house 
is  my  heir.  No  hereditary  claim  existed,  but  Abram  had, 
as  is  seen  from  vv.  2  and  3,  destined  the  inheritance  to 
his  tried  and  faithful  servant,  in  case  he  should  die  childless. 
The  promise  of  God  however  raises  him  above  this  grievous 
force  of  circumstances,  ver.  4  :  And,  behold,  the  loord  of  Jahvch 
to  him,  saying:  This  man  shall  not  be  thine  heir,  but  he  that  shall 
go  forth  out  of  thine  oivn  body,  he  shall  be  thine  heir.  Instead 
of  ''<?''.],  we  have  here  •^S'?"!,  which  presents  an  object  to  the 
mind,  and  instead  of  T^7!jP,  xxxv.  11,  D^yo  only  used  of  the 
M'ife  in  the  more  recent  custom  of  the  language  (xxv.  23), 
but  here,  as  in  2  Sam.  vii.  12,  xvi.  11,  of  the  husband: 
Tcytsp.  The  ecstatic  condition  of  Abram  is  to  be  conceived  of 
as  continuing,  ver.  5  :  And  He  led  him  into  the  open  air,  and 
said :  Look  towards  heaven,  and  count  the  stars,  if  thou  canst 
count  them.  And  He  said  to  him :  So  shcdl  thy  seed  he, 
numerous  as  the  stars  of  heaven  (xxii.  17,  xxvi.  4;  Ex, 
xxxii.  13;  comp.  the  fulfilment,  Deut.  x.  22).  Demeanour 
of   Abram  with    regard    to  this    promise,  so  paradoxical  in 


6  GENESIS  XV.  6. 

itself,  ver.  6  :  And  Abram  helieved  in  Jahveh  ;  and  He  reckoned 
it  to  him  for  rigJiteousncss.  The  conclusion  of  tlie  first 
portion  of  the  narrative,  as  ver.  18  sqq.  is  of  the  second. 
The  per/,  states  in  ver.  6  the  basis,  as  the  Imperf.  conscc.  does 
the  fact  of  the  imputation  (comp.  on  i.  2).  The  verb  \'^^,  of 
whose  various  use  we  may  take  a  survey  even  within  the 
Pentateuch,  means  to  be  firm,  certain,  whence  "^^i^x,  Ex.  xvii. 
12,  in  its  first  physical  meaning  firmness  and  ri^^.  =  J^^os 
(adverbially  P^,  n:aK  and  Ci3lpi<),  truth  as  firmness  and 
certainty,  transitively:  to  secure,  to  support,  whence  '■'^9?» 
pillar,  as  that  which  supports,  and  JP^<,  a  nurse,  as  he  who 
supports,  holds  in  leading  strings,  has  care  of.  The  JViph. 
means  in  a  temporal  sense  to  be  wearisome,  Deut.  xxviii.  59  ; 
in  a  local  sense,  to  be  firm,  unchangeable,  see  Isa.  vii.  9, 
1  Sam.  ii.  35,  and  frequently;  then  to  be  certified,  to  be 
verified,  to  be  proved  true,  xlii.  20,  by  man  or  God:  to 
show  oneself  trustworthy,  partic.  genuine,  faithful,  Num.  xii. 

7  ;  Deut.  vii.  9.  As  l^*?.?  signifies  faithful,  Tnaro'?,  the  Hiph. 
r'??;?n  signifies  to  trust,  iriaTeveiv,  the  cherishing  and  mani- 
festing a  frame  or  disposition,  which  is  certain  of  its  object 
and  relies  upon   it ;  with  ?  of  the  person  or  thing,  Ex.  iv. 

8  sq.,  whose  testimony  is  believingly  accepted  (comp.  Lane 
under  ^^^T) ;  with  3  of  the  person  or  thing,  Deut.  xxviii. 
66,  which  is  believingly  rested  on  as  a  firm  foundation,  a 
certain  warrant.  Both  constructions  are  met  with  to  designate 
the  attitude  towards  God.  'rh  TDSn,  Deut.  ix.  23,  but  more 
frequently  'r\2  pnsn,  xv.  6;  Ex.  xiv.  31;  comp.  iv.  31,  xix. 
9;  Num.  xiv.  11,  xx.  12;  Deut.  i.  32.  The  LXX. 
translates  here,  koI  iiricrTevcrev  "A^pafju  tu>  ©eu) ;  one  of  the 
New  Testament  phrases,  iricrTeiiecv  et?  or  iirl  rov  ©eov,  eVt 
or  iv  Tc3  ©eft),  would  have  been  more  in  conformity  with  the 
text.  For  'nn  ptDSn  denotes  the  faith,  not  as  assensus,  but 
according  to  the  fiducia  or  acquiescentia  in  which  it  is 
perfected.  ''We  are  not  merely  told  that  Abram  believed  the 
testimony  of  Him  who  promised,  but  that  he   relied  upon 


GENESIS  XV.  7,  8.  7 

His  person,  and  believingly  rested  in  or  upon  Him.  Jaliveh 
reckoned  it,  this  faith,  to  him  (which  is  the  proper  meaning 
of  a'J^'n,  c— '-u*=^,  here  with  f  of  the  person,  like  Ps.  xxxii.  2) 
as  righteousness  (i^i^l^*,  comp.  i^i^l^'^,  Ps.  cvi.  31,  according 
to  which  the  LXX.  has  Kal  iXoyiadr]  avTu>  eh  ZcKatoo-vvrjv, 
like  Ptom.  iv.  3 ;  Gal,  iii.  6 ;  Jas.  ii.  23).  No  external 
legal  work  whatever,  but  faith  justified  Abram  before  God, 
while  as  yet  uncircumcised — a  prechristian  Scripture  testi- 
mony that  not  in  the  way  of  law,  but  in  the  way  of  the 
promise  which  brings  him  salvation,  does  man  attain  to  a 
righteousness  valid  before  God,  and  that  this  righteousness, 
far  from  being  self-effected,  is  as  to  its  foundation  a  righteous- 
ness imputed  in  faith,  which  grasps  the  salvation  offered  in 
Christ.  The  promise  too,  here  made  to  Abram,  has  truly 
Christ  for  its  object  {siib  innumerahili  ilia  posteritate  latebat 
Chrisiits,  as  Hunnius  remarks) ;  the  faith  in  which  he  receives 
it,  is  faith  in  the  promised  seed,  and  Jahveh,  in  whom  Abram 
believingly  rests,  is  God  the  Picdeemer.  But  that  this  faith 
is  meant  to  be  regarded  as  the  motive  power  of  a  new  life, 
is  shown  l)y  the  passage,  Ps.  cvi.  31,  which  bears  the  same 
relation  to  Gen.  xv.  6  that  St.  James  does  to  St.  Paul. 
From  the  righteousness  of  faith  proceeds  a  righteousness  of 
life,  which,  for  the  sake  of  the  source  whence  it  comes,  is, 
like  faith  itself,  reckoned  by  God  as  '^P,"jy. 

According  to  the  law,  "  To  him  that  hath  shall  be  given," 
tlie  faith  of  Abram  is  rewarded  with  a  renewed  promise 
of  the  possession  of  the  land,  ver.  7  :  A^id  He  said  to  him : 
I  am  Jahveh  that  led  thee  out  of  Ur-Casdim,  to  give  thee  this 
land  to  take  possession  of  it.  This  self-testimony  of  Jahveh  is 
the  preliminary  stage  to  that  of  Ex.  xx.  2 — the  one  conditions 
and  demands  the  other.  It  sounds  Jahvistico-Deuteronomic. 
It  is  then  no  relapse  to  unbelief,  no  fit  of  weak  faith, 
when  Abram  says,  ver.  8  :  0  Lord  of  all,  Jahveh,  ivhcrchj 
shall  I  know  that  I  shall  possess  it  ?  On  ns3^  with  euphonic 
Dagesh,  see  Ewald,  §  2436;  and  on  yT,  with  a  of  the  means, 


8  GENESIS  XV.  9-11. 

comp.  xlii.  33;  Ps.  xli.  12;  Job  xii.  9.  It  is  a  question, 
like  Gideon's,  Judg.  vi.  36  sq.,  and  Hezekiali's,  2  Kings  xx.  8, 
not  of  doubt,  but  of  supplication.  God  does  not  leave  this 
justifiable  desire  of  faith  un  gran  ted,  ver.  9  :  And  He  said  to 
him :  Take  to  thee  a  heifer  of  three  years  old,  and  a  she-goat 
of  three  years  old,  and  a  ram  of  three  years  old,  and  a  turtle 
dove  and  a  young  2^igcon.  The  ^:»rt?'^.  Puhal  ^'p'f  P  means  here, 
having  reached  three,  i.e.  three  years.  So  most  ancient  trans- 
lators (LXX.  Sara.,  Targ.  jer.,  Syr.  Jer.) ;  comp.  also  1  Sam. 
i.  24,  eV  /J-6cr^(p  Tpieji^ovTL,  where  LXX.  Syr.  read  ^ih^^'Q  "IS3. 
In  spite  of  the  various  modes  of  expression,  Isa.  xv.  5,  Judg. 
vi.  25,  Ex.  xii.  5  and  elsewhere,  no  other  meaning  is  possible, 
neither :  having  reached  the  third  part  of  full  maturity  (which 
D'pL^'P,  Baha  mezia  68a,  as  a  Denominative  from  t^'vt:',  a  third 
of  full  maturity,  means),  nor :  tripled  {i.e.  three  calves,  like 
Onkelos),  nor  :  divided  into  thirds,  for  Abram  divided  them  not 
into  thirds,  but  halves,  ver.  10  :  And  he  took  to  him  all  these, 
and  divided  them  in  the  midst,  and  laid  the  piece  of  each 
over  against  the  other,  and  the  hirds  he  divided  not.  On 
iiris  tr''X,  each,  its  pieces  the  piece  of  each,  see  on  ix.  5. 
"lisV  is  as  collective  as  at  Ps.  viii.  9,  cxlviii.  1 0 ;  Ezek. 
xxxix.  4.  They  are  the  five  clean  sacrificial  animals  accord- 
ing to  the  future  sacrificial  ritual,  which  Abram  is  to  take ; 
his  leaving  the  turtle  and  the  dove  undivided  is  also  in 
conformity  with  it  (Lev.  i.  17).  Prom  his  laying  the  Q''"]^? 
opposite  each  other,  it  may  be  inferred  that  he  also  laid  the 
turtle  dove  opposite  the  pigeon,  so  that  four  portions  lay  on 
each  side.  This  arrangement  was  to  subserve  a  Divine 
purpose,  the  attainment  of  which  was  however  endangered, 
ver,  11  :  And  the  hirds  of  prey  came  dovm  upon  the  carcases, 
hut  Ahram  drove  them  away.  He  knows  not  what  purpose 
that  which  has  been  thus  brought  is  to  serve,  but  he  seeks 
to  preserve  it  uninjured  for  a  purpose  which  he  hopes  to 
learn.  And  now  preparation  is  made  for  the  revelation 
about  to   be  connected  with  the  sacrifice  thus  lying  ready. 


GENESIS  XV.  12-10.  9 

A'^er.  12  :  The  sun  was  just  about  to  go  down,  and  a  dec}! 
sleep  lefell  Abram,  and,  lo,  terror,  great  darhncss  settled 
upon  him.  On  the  construction  ^S:b  \T\  see  Ges.  §  132, 
note  1:  •^pi."'.^  is  deep  sleep,  ii.  21,  here  a  violent  plunging 
of  the  natural  life  of  perception  and  thought  into  uncon- 
sciousness and  inactivity,  a  cessation  and,  as  it  were,  a 
casting  into  slumber  of  the  ordinary  activity  of  the  mind 
and  senses,  for  the  purpose  of  unsealing  the  inner  eye.  The 
LXX.  here,  as  also  ii.  21,  has  eWracrt?.  The  succession 
of  accents  in  '"[V"ij  ^j^PD  H;-^''^  is  the  same  as  at  vi.  9.  The 
awful  and  great  darkness  is  supernatural,  for  it  falls  only  on 
Abram,  and  indeed  before  sunset.  After  everything  earthly 
has  been  rendered  invisible  to  him,  God  lights  up  the  future, 
vv.  13-16:  And  lie  said  to  Ahram :  Tlicu  art  to  know,  that 
thy  seed  shcdl  he  a  stranger  in  a  land  not  belonging  to  them, 
and  they  shcdl  serve  them,  and  they  shcdl  oppress  them  four 
hundred  years.  And  again  the  nation,  u-hom  they  shall  serve, 
shall  be  Judged  by  me,  and  afterwards  they  shcdl  depart  uith 
great  possessions.  And  thou  shall  go  to  thy  fathers  in  2'^cace, 
and  be  buried  at  a  good  age.  And  in  the  fourth  generation 
they  shcdl  return  hither,  for  the  iniquity  of  the  Aniorites  is 
not  yet  full.  The  strange  land,  viz.  Egypt,  is  first  expressly 
named  to  Jacob.  The  subject  of  cnpyi  is  the  descendants 
of  Abram  :  they  are  to  serve  the  inhabitants  of  the  strange 
land  (nny,  with  an  ace,  like  xxix.  15  ;  Ex.  xxi.  6  ;  Dcut.  xx. 
11).  The  LXX.  has  wrongly  koI  BovXwaovaiv  avTov<;,  they 
shall  enslave  them  (thy  descendants),  which  would  be  'ilrVl 
D3.  The  Divine  retribution  begins  with  DJI.  The  expression 
Ti^nbx-^x  Ninn  is  like  Ps.  xlix.  19,  and  differs  from  xxv.  8. 
Tliis  is  the  first  time  in  Holy  Scripture  that  we  meet 
with  the  word  Ci!?^,  which  (comiug  from  V  b'^)  means  release, 
deliverance  from  care  and  want,  and  therefore  peace,  in  the 
sense  of  both  contentment  and  satisfaction.  ^V*?"!  ii"il  is 
an  ace.  of  time  (comp.  xvi.  4&).  The  LXX.  correctly  has  : 
rerdp-rj    he    ^evea.       The    synecdochic    designation    of    the 


10  GENESIS  XV.  13-16. 

inhabitants  of  the  Promised  Land  as  l^i^j^  is  a  different  one 
from  that  at  xii.  6,  xiii.  7.  Thus  the  sojourn  in  Egypt  is  to 
last -400  years,  so  that  nii  (as  in  Nestor,  yeved,  ii.  1.  250)  is 
a  seculum  of  100  years — a  round  number,  instead  of  which 
we  find,  Ex.  xii.  40  [Q),  the  more  accurate  statement,  430 
years,  with  which  the  genealogy,  Ex.  vi.  16  sqq.,  apparently 
agrees.  For  the  137  years  of  Levi,  the  133  of  Kehath, 
the  137  of  Amram,  and  the  80  of  Moses  at  the  exodus,  un- 
doubtedly the  representatives  of  the  four  generations,  give  above 
400  years,  but  only  if  they  are  added  together  without  regard 
to  synchronism.  \Hence  the  LXX.  already  reckons.  Ex,  xii.  40, 
in  the  430  the  sojourn  in  Canaan._J) This  is  the  view  handed 
down  in  the  synagogue  {e.g.  Pcsikta  de  Bab  Cahana,  ed.  Buber, 
47&;  Mechilta  Parasha,  X2,  c.  14),  and  thence  among  the 
Syrians,  from  which  also  St.  Paul  proceeds.  Gal.  iii.  17.  For 
if  we  reckon  the  25  years  from  Abraham's  entrance  into 
Canaan,  and  the  first  promises  given  him  to  the  birth  of 
Isaac,  the  60  years  from  Isaac's  birth  to  that  of  Jacob,  the 
130  thence  to  Jacob's  going  into  Egypt,  together  215  years, 
with  the  215  years  of  the  Egyptian  sojourn,  they  come  to 
430  years.  The  genealogy,  Ex.  vi.  16  sqq.,  with  the  numbers 
of  the  years  of  life  of  Levi,  Kehath,  and  Amram,  which  to- 
gether amount  to  407  years,  prove  at  least  that  a  generation 
might  at  that  period  be  reckoned  at  120  (in  round  numbers 
100)  years;  and  we  must  at  any  rate  estimate  a  generation 
according  to  the  numbers  in  Ex.  xii.  40,  and  not  lessen  the 
numbers  to  suit  it.  This  is  however  a  problem,  the  discus- 
sion of  which  belongs  to  Ex.  vi.  16  sqq.  or  Ex.  xii.  40,  and 
not  to  our  passage.  The  revelation  here  made  to  Abraham 
is  both  in  its  special  and  general  meaning  a  new  disclosure  : 
he  learns  that  the  race,  of  which  he  is  destined  to  become  the 
ancestor,  is  to  go  through  suffering  to  glory — henceforth  a 
law  in  the  history  of  redemption  (comp.  Luke  xxiv.  26  ;  Acts 
xiv.  22).  What  preceded  this  revelation  now  appears  in  the 
symbolical  liglit  thrown  upon  it  thereby.      The  three  years  of 


GENESIS  XV.  17.  11 

age  of  the  heifer,  the  goat  and  the  ram  impress  upon  what  is 
in  question  the  stamp  of  holiness,  for  three  is  the  number  of 
God  in  His  nature  (comp.  the  number  seven,  Judg.  vi.  25). 
The  carcases  of  the  animals  lying  opposite  each  other  in  fours 
allude  to  the  four  seasons  ;  the  birds  of  prey  rushing  down 
like  harpies  upon  the  pieces  (comp.  Virgil,  JEn.  iii.  244  sqq.) 
to  the  nations  hostile  to  the  Lord's  people  (comp.  Deut.  xxviii. 
40)  ;  and  the  awful  darkness  presents  an  anticipation  and 
prefiguration  of  the  fact  that  the  light  of  glory  will  arise  only 
from  the  dark  background  of  previous  suffering.  But  before 
God  manifests  Himself  in  perceptible  majesty,  it  gets  yet 
darker  within  and  without,  ver.  17  :  And  it  came  to  pass,  the 
sun  vxnt  down  and  deep  darkness  tooh  plaee,  and  hchold  a 
smolcing  furnace  and  a  flaming  torch  loMcli  passed  Ictwcen  these 
Ijicccs.  The  name  of  the  sun,  generally  masculine,  is  here  as 
elsewhere,  only,  Nah.  iii.  17,  Isa.  xlv.  6,  Mai.  iii.  20,  femi- 
nine. AVhat  follows  "tT'I,  is  fashioned  according  to  the 
scheme  of  contemporaneousness,  like  xxvii.  30,  comp,  vii.  6  ; 
the  two  perfects  coincide,  the  state  of  the  case  is  essentially 
the  same  at  12a  (Driver,  §1G5).  With  sunset  the  darkness 
of  night  set  in  (HM  for  nn^n^  according  to  Ges.  §  147,  note  2), 
then  between  the  parts  of  the  sacrifice  there  passed  an 
appearance  as  of  a  smoking  furnace  (l^^'y,  adj.  =  \^'V),  i.e.  (the 
point  of  comparison  being  only  the  cylindrical  form  ^)  of  a 
pillar  of  smoke  and  a  flaming  torch  rising  up  from  it.  It  is 
Jahveh,  whose  glory  is  in  its  manifestation  a  shining  light 
from  a  dark  background,  who  has  ordained  for  all  His 
creatures  darkness  as  the  substratum  of  light,  and  who  also 
permits  His  people  to  attain  to  light  in  no  other  way  than 
through    darkness.     Thus  manifesting  Himself,  He  confirms 

*  See  on  tann-Ar,  Assjt.  tinuru,  Friedr.  Delitzsch,  Proleg.  146  ;  D.  H.  Miiller 
in  the  Wiener  Zeitachrift  filr  die  Kunde  des  Morgenlandes,  i.  23  sq.  ;  and  lor 
confirmation  of  the  fundamental  meaning  there  accepted,  "  hollow,  concave 
vessel,"  Wetzstein  in  the  Transactions  of  the  Anthropological  Society,  1882,  p. 
467.  A  detailed  history  of  the  word  is  given  by  llud.  Dvorak  in  the  Zdlschrij't 
fur  Ktilschrift-forschung,  1882,  but  with  the  inadmissible  result,  that  it  is  a 
word  derived  from  the  Persian. 


12  GENESIS  XV.  18   21. 

what  He  had  promised,  vv.  18-21  :  On  that  day  Jahveh 
made  a  covenant  with  Ahram,  saying  :  To  thy  seed  I  give  this 
land,  from  the  river  of  Egypt  to  the  great  river,  the  river 
Euphrates — the  Kenite  and  Kenizzite  and  Kadmonite,  and  the 
Hittite  and  Pcrizzite  and  the  Bephaim,  and  the  Emorite  and 
Canaanite  and  Girgashite  and  Jebusite.  The  perfect  ""Ji^n:  ap- 
plies, as  at  i.  29,  ix.  2  sq.,  to  what  is  determined;  elsewhere 
as  at  XX.  16,  to  M'hat  is  performed  at  the  time  of  speaking. 
It  is  nowhere  else  promised  that  the  land  of  Israel  is  to  reach 
to  Egypt,  hence  the  D."'']>''?  li]?  here,  and  the  Trora/io?  AIjvittov, 
Judith  i.  9,  is  the  Ci;'"}>*p  bnJ  (naJial  Musur  in  Asurbanipal's 
account  of  the  war)  often  named  as  the  southern  boundary  of 
Palestine,  the  Wddi  el- Arts,  which,  now  as  a  shallow  brook, 
now  as  a  rushing  torrent,  runs  through  the  entire  northern 
portion  of  the  Siuaitic  peninsula,  and  falls  into  the  Mediter- 
ranean near  the  village  cl-Aris,  the  ancient  'PivoKoXovpa,  the 
"  nose-docked  town  "  (from  KoXovpo^,  dock-tailed,  then  docked 
in  general  =  «o\o/3c9)  of  the  Ethiopian  conqueror  'AKTiadpr]^, 
Diodor.  i.  60.  The  appellation  of  this  boundary  stream  as 
n\iva  "sSWU^  1  Chron.  xiii.  5,  comp.  1  Kings  viii.  65,  Josh, 
xiii.  3,  may  arise  from  its  having  been  erroneously  regarded 
as  the  most  westerly  portion  of  the  net  of  channels  of  the 
Nile,  though  it  might  also,  as  Ebers  admits,  have  been  so  called 
as  the  fust  Egyptian  water  met  with  in  coming  from  Palestine. 
On  the  names  of  the  Euphrates,  see  on  ii.  14.  The  nations 
cited  are  exactly  ten.  The  Kenites  dwelling  in  the  farthest 
south-east,  whose  name  corresponds  with  al-Kain,  a  branch 
of  the  Arabian  tribe  Kodaa  {DMZ,  xl.  181),  the  likewise 
southern  Kenizzites  (comp.  on  xxxvi.  15)  and  the  Ivadmo- 
uites,  i.e.  as  it  seems  the  Arabs  dwelling  farthest  to  the 
north-east,  are  first  mentioned.  Beginning  thus  from  the 
border  of  the  land,  the  enumeration  proceeds  in  a  zigzag  from 
south  to  north  to  express  absolute  perfection,  whose  symbol  is 
the  number  ten.  Instead  of  the  ten,  six  nations  are  named, 
Ex.  iii.  8,  17,  xxiii.  23,  Deut.  xx.  17  ;  and  seven,  Deut.  vii.  1, 


GENESIS  XV.  18-21.  13 

Josh.  iii.  10.  In  both  instances  the  'yp,  '??p,  'py,  and  n'5<3i. 
here  enumerated  are  omitted.  The  number  seven  is  com- 
pleted by  the  here  unmentioned  ""in.  Where  only  six  are 
named,  the  ^'^'p}  reckoned  among  the  seven  are  wantincj. 

The  transaction  here  designated  by  n^-13  ma  consists  in 
the  engagement,  ver.  18,  comp.  7,  and  its  pledge.  This  trans- 
action has  always  been  regarded  (see  e.g.  the  Targums)  as  the 
entering  into  a  covenant  by  means  of  a  covenant  sacrifice ; 
and  not  incorrectly,  although  neither  a  covenant  proper  is 
entered  into  nor  a  sacrifice  proper  offered.  There  is  no  proper 
entering  into  a  covenant;  for  God  grants  and  confirms  a  pro- 
mise to  Abram,  on  which  account  it  is  Ho  only  Avho  passes 
between  the  portions  of  the  sacrifice.  Hence  it  is  not  a 
covenant  in  the  sense  of  a  pactio,  but  of  a  sponsio.  n"'"i2  ma 
is  also  elsewhere  used,  both  of  the  promises  of  God  to  man, 
Ex.  xxxiv.  10  (also  ma  alone,  2  Chron.  vii.  18  ;  comp.  Hag. 
ii.  5),  and  of  the  promises  of  man  to  God,  Ezra  x.  3.  Xor  is  a 
proper  sacrifice  offered,  for  this  laying  of  the  pieces  (Q'''}!^2  or 
C"}!?)  is  not  the  same  as  the  laying  of  the  portions  of  the 
sacrifice  upon  the  altar.  Xor  is  it  said  that  the  fire  of  Jahveh 
consumed  them  (comp.  Judg.  vi.  21;  1  Kings  xviii.  38)  ;  hence 
the  expression  of  Josephus,  Ant.  i.  10.  3,  dvcriav  7rpoa<p€pet,  tm 
©eft),  is  unsuitable.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  still  a  sacrificial 
transaction,  to  which,  indeed,  although  the  central  mark  of  a 
sacrifice — the  oUatio — does  not  apply,  its  fundamental  mark 
— the  sacratio — does,  for  it  is  for  the  purpose  of  worship  that 
Abram  slays  the  animals  and  lays  the  pieces.  Hence  the 
animals  slain  and  divided  into  pieces  on  the  occasion  of 
entering  into  covenants  are  also  called  in  Latin  and  Greek 
lepeta  and  Jiostice,  and  the  oath  combined  with  this  rite  is 
designated  in  Demosthenes  as  ofxvvvai,  kuO'  lepwv  or  Kad'  iepwv 
rekeioiv,  in  Pausanias  as  opKov  ScBovac  iirl  rofxicov  (comp. 
Hesych.  s.v.  rc/xia),  although  the  pieces  of  the  animals  M'ere 
neither  burnt  in  honour  of  God  nor  partially  eaten,  but  buried 
or  thrown  into  water,  and  the  eating  of  them,  as  affected  by 


1  4  GENESIS  XV,  18-21. 

the  curse,  interdicted.  Accordingly  we  find  in  this  case  the 
performance  of  what  the  word  rinn  (from  n'nii=S')3,  to  cut) 
originally  means,  and  what  the  phrases  ri"'"i3  n"}3  (Aram.  D^p  "i_T3), 
opKia  reixveiv,  fcedus  ferire,  i.e.  ferienda  hostia,  facere  fcedus 
fcomp.  Pers.  peimdn  htcriden,  to  cut  an  alliance,  Turkish  kahini 
hjmalc,  to  cut  in  pieces  =  to  conclude  a  marriage  settlement) 
properly  state.  God  accommodates  Himself,  says  Ephrem 
{0pp.  vol.  i.  p.  1G2),  in  this  transaction  to  the  custom  of  the 
Chaldeans,  for  it  was  their  solemn  usage  to  pass  torch  in  hand 
between  the  divided  carcases  of  the  animals,  laid  opposite  each 
other  in  an  appointed  order,  and  so  to  inaugurate  the  cove- 
nants they  entered  into.  They  thus  imprecated  upon  them- 
selves a  like  death  with  these  animals  (comp.  Bc'^oTo/xeli', 
Luke  xii.  46)  in  case  they  transgressed  the  covenant.  Comp. 
Liv.  ix.  5  :  ut  cum  ita  Jupiter  feriat  qucmcuhnodum  a  fetialihus 
2)oi'cns  fcriatur  ;  xxi.  45  :  {Dii)  ita  madarent,  quemadmodum 
ipse  mactasset  agnum,  and  also  the  ancient  oath,  per  Jovem 
lapidcm,  in  which  the  swearer  held  a  stone  in  his  hand,  and 
(according  to  Paulus  Diaconus)  said :  Si  sciens  folio,  turn  me, 
Dispiter  salva  livhe  arccque  lonis  ejiciat  uti  ego  hunc  lapidem. 
Here,  where  it  is  Jahveh  who  binds  Himself  by  a  covenant, 
self-imprecation  seems  out  of  the  question.  But  it  is  just 
this  which  is  essential  in  this  custom,  and  that  this  was  the 
case  in  Israel  also  is  shown  by  Jer.  xxxiv.  18,  where  Jahveh 
gives  this  reference  to  the  rT'ian  "iny.  The  passing  of  Jahveh 
between  the  pieces  is  an  act  of  deepest  condescension,  to  the 
same  effect  as  His  elsewhere  swearing  by  Himself,  xxii.  16, 
or  by  His  life,  Deut.  xxxii.  40,  or  still  more  anthropomorphi- 
cally  by  His  soul,  Amos  vi.  8  ;  Jer.  li.  14.  It  is  thus  that 
the  occurrence  is  also  viewed  by  St.  Luke,  Acts  vii.  17,  in  his 
reproduction  of  the  speech  of  Stephen.  Jahveh  condescends 
so  deeply  that  He  may  testify  to  Abram  as  palpably,  impres- 
sively, and  memorably  as  possible,  to  aixeraOeTOv  Tri<i  ^ov\i]<f 
avrov  (Heb.  vi.  1 7).  But  the  deeper  His  condescension,  the 
more  majestic  is  His  appearance.     God's  manner  of  manifest- 


GENESIS  XVI.  1-4.  15 

ing  Himself  in  His  intercourse  with  the  patriarchs  is  on  other 
occasions  more  gentle  and  familiar.  Here  it  is  purposely  more 
sublimely  terrible  than  elsewhere. 


THE  EVENTS  PRECEDING  THE  BIUTH  OF  ISHMAEL,  CH.  XVI. 

The  second  portion  of  the  second  section,  ch.  xvi.,  which 
relates  the  birth  of  Ishmael,  shows  ns  once  more  how  every- 
thing Avent  on  in  the  family  of  Abram  contrary  to  human 
thoughts  and  ways.  Sarai  remains  barren  after  the  covenant 
as  before.  She  rashly  gives  up  the  hope  of  being  called  to 
take  part  in  the  realization  of  the  promise,  and  associates  her 
Egyptian  maid  with  Abram,  by  whom  the  latter  becomes  the 
mother  of  Ishmael.  The  narrator  is  J ;  but  ver.  3  shows  itself 
to  be  from  Q,  and  the  birth  of  Ishmael,  ver.  15  sq.,  also  is 
related  in  words  from  Q,  because  this  source  had  in  this  case 
the  advantage  of  greater  accuracy. 

A  verse  stating  the  circumstances  precedes  and  is  then 
followed  by  the  facts  aimed  at  in  the  historical  manner,  vv.  1-4; 
And  So.rai,  Abram' s  wife,  hare  him  no  child :  and  she  had  an 
Egyptian  maid,  ivhose  name  ivas  Hagar.  And  Sarai  said  to 
Abram:  Behold,  now,  Jakveh  has  restrained  me,  that  I  shoidd 
not  bare.  Go  in,  I  pray  thee,  to  my  maid,  perhaps  I  may  obtain 
children  from  her.  And  Sarai,  Abranis  ivife,  took  the  Egyr)tian 
Hagar,  her  maid,  after  the  lapse  of  ten  years  since  Abram' s 
dwelling  in  the  land  of  Canaan,  and  gave  her  to  Abram  her 
husband  to  wife.  And  he  went  in  unto  Hagar,  and  she  con- 
ceived, and  when  she  perceived  that  she  had  conceived,  her  mistress 
became  little  in  her  eyes,  la  is  not  a  repetition  of  xi.  30  :  the 
barrenness  of  Sarai  continued  in  Canaan  also.  I^robably 
Hagar  was  one  of  the  female  slaves  bestowed  upon  Abram 
by  Pharaoh,  ch.  xii.  16.  The  historic  nature  of  the  name  is 
supported  by  the  national  name  of  the  Ci"''!Jn  (°''^''')^l').  Being 
Sarai's  handmaid,  she  was,  as  is  still  the  custom,  entirely  at 
her  mistress's  disposal.     Sarai  resigns  her  to  Abram  to  use 


16  GEKESIS  XVI.  5,  6. 

lier  as  J^p'^  [i.e.  t^'J?'?  ^'^'^),  that  she  may  herself  be  built 
up,  i.e.  obtain  children  by  her  (xxx.  3  ;  comp.  1  Pet.  ii.  5). 
The  idea  is  a  different  one  from  when,  with  reference  to  the 
cottage  or  arbour  set  up  for  the  nuptials  of  a  newly-married 
pair   {DMZ.  xxxii.   153),    it   is  said  of  the  man  in  relation 

to  tlie   woman   in   Arabic  I^aLz  ^a.',  or    in    Bedouin    diction 

v^-vii  {JM.S--  The  family  is  represented  as  a  house,  procreation 
as  building-,  and  becoming  a  mother  as  being  built  up.  He 
who  begets  is  called  in  Assyrian  Mni,  "  my  father,"  abu 
hdnija ;  she  who  begets  hdnitu,  and  that  which  is  begotten 
hiniltu  or  oicibnitu.  The  original  form  of  13  is  hanj  (  .;,  accord- 
ing   to    Arabic    grammarians  =  JS),  as   that   of  XV    is    'a-s/' 

(l^.:  =y^zz).  p^  ^^i3  to  a  woman  is  the  same  as  l^  J.r5-u\  he 
went  in  unto  her,  viz.  into  the  marriage  chamber.  Abram 
consents  to  Sarai's  request,  D^"^■'?^^  r^T  C'ijsnp  (Mai.  ii.  15).  The 
intention  was  good,  but  also  nothing  farther.  Ten  years  had 
then  elapsed  since  Abram  settled  in  Canaan  (n??^?  without 
the  tone  on  the  first  syllable,  because  it  subordinates  genitiv- 
ally  the  following  subject).  When  Hagar  found  that  she  had 
conceived  she  felt  herself  raised  above  her  former  position, 
and  behaved  herself  as  if  she  had  taken  Sarai's  place,  her 
mistress,  to  whom  she  was  indebted  for  her  new  position, 
being  henceforth  little  accounted  of  by  her.  ''i?J?5,  impf.  Kal, 
with  a  of  the  intransitive,  yy  has  an  accented  ultima,  comp., 
on  the  contrary,  y^'.l;  the  accentuation  vacillates,  Ges.  §  67, 
note  3.  Sarai  now  complains  of  the  arrogant  conduct  of  the 
concubine,  and  so  requites  it  that  she  flees,  vv.  5,  6  :  And 
Sarai  said  to  Abram :  My  suffering  ivrong  is  thy  faidt. 
I  gave  my  7naid  info  thy  bosom,  and  now  that  she  sees  she  has 
conceived,  I  am  little  in  her  eyes — Jahveh  judge  between  me  and 
thee.  And  Abram  said  to  Sarai :  Behold,  thy  maid  is  in  thy 
l')owcr,  do  to  her  as  seems  good  to  thee.  And  Sarai  dealt 
hardly  with  her,  and  she  Jled  from  her.     With  T'^J'  ''P^D  Sarai 


GENESIS  XVI.  7.  17 

makes  her  husband  responsible  for  the  injury  she  suffers 
(comp.  Jer.  li.  35),  and  appeals  to  the  judgment  of  God.  'n''?.''^^ 
has  a  super-punctuated  second  Yod,  because  P^,  with  the  sullix 
of  the  second  person,  elsewhere  has  always  the  singular  form. 
Abram  saw  his  closest  relation  disturbed,  and  left  it  to  Sarai  to 
deal  according  to  her  own  judgment  with  her  slave,  who  was 
indeed  entirely  at  her  disposal.  Hie  se  Abram  ostendit,  says 
Augustine,  non  amatorem  servum,  sed  genitorem  liberum.  Sarai 
abundantly  requited  Hagar's  arrogance  by  unkind  treatment ; 
and  Hagar,  who  found  the  situation  unendurable,  took  flight. 
Her  name,  "iJi^.  corresponds  (we  know  not  whether  accidentally 
or   intentionally)   with   this   fact.     For  hajara  (whence    the  ' 

name  Hi jra  and  the  evotic  j^^  ^%  union  and  separation)        *- 
means   to   break   off  intercourse  with   any   one,   to   separate 
oneself,  to  depart,  in  opposition  to  which  m2  has  the  mean- 
ing  of  to   flee  from  the  perverse,  the  crooked  (comp.  n''"!?, 
cross-piece  of  timber)  direction  entered  upon. 

What  a  number  of  mishaps  ensued  from  this  course  of 
action,  which  endeavoured  arbitrarily  to  bring  about  the 
fulfilment  of  the  Divine  promise  instead  of  patiently  waiting 
for  it !  God's  faithfulness  to  His  covenant  however  turned 
all  into  blessing,  ver.  7  :  And  the  angel  of  Jahteh  found  her 
hy  the  fountain  of  water  in  the  wilderness,  hy  the  fountain  on 
the  way  to  "Sur.  Hagar  was  purposing  to  flee  to  Egypt  by 
the  way  of  Beersheba.  She  made  use  of  the  road  at  all 
times  the  most  frequented :  the  way  to  "i^m^,  a  place  no  longer 
ascertainable  (xx.  1)  in  iVi:'  "inirp  (Ex.  xv.  22),  i.e.  (according 
to  Saadia)  in  the  desert  region  of  el  'Gifdr  (jlijsjl),  from  five 
to  seven  days'  journey  long,  between  the  south-west  of 
Philistia  and  the  north-east  of  Egypt,  reaching  as  far  south 
as  beyond  Kulzum  (Suez),  and  including  the  Tih  Icni  Isrdil 
(the  wilderness  of  Pharan).  The  angel  of  Jahveh  there 
appears  to  her.  This  is  the  first  time  we  meet  with  this 
kind  of  revelation  of  God  by  means  of  an  angel.  How  are 
we  to  understand  it  ? 

VOL.  II.  B 


18  GENESIS  XVI.  7. 

Is  the  angel  of  God  God  Himself,  making  Himself  visible 
as  an  angel,  or  only  an  angel  of  whom  God  makes  use  as 
the  Oman  of  His  self-manifestation  ?  The  anfjel  is  called 
explicitly  nin""  (xviii.  33;  Judg.  vi.  14;  Zech.  i.  13,  iii.  2, 
and  frequently),  D'Ti^x  and  i?x  (xxxii.  25  sqq. ;  Hos.  xii.  5, 
comp.  4),  and  designates  Himself  as  the  God  of  salvation 
(xxxi.  13;  Ex.  iii.  2,  6  sqq.).     On  the  other  hand,  the  very 

name  ^xt^D  (from  ix^,  cJi  Ci!^>  Aeth.  la'dJca,  to  cause  to  go, 
to   bid  go,  hence :  sending,  properly,    as   the   Arabs   rightly 

interpret  their  CJJU,  the  accessory,  and  presumably  the  root- 

form  of  cJL<,  n.  vcrh.  ahstr.,  then  one  sent)  already  leads  to 
the  personal  distinction  of  the  sender  (xxiv.  7  ;  Ex.  xxxiii.  2  ; 
Num.  XX.  16)  and  the  sent.  We  have  here  then  a  problem 
with  important  pros  and  cons.  The  ancient  synagogue  regards 
the  angel  of  God  as  a  created  angel,  calls  him  piDCD,  mctaior, 
as  he  who  marches  before  and  is  the  pioneer  of  Israel,  and 
explains  his  speaking  as  though  he  were  Jahveh  Himself  by 
Ex.  xxiii.  21,  according  to  which  "his  name  is  as  the  name 
of  his  Lord"  {Sanhedrin  38^).  The  ancient  Church,  on  the 
contrary,  sees  in  this  angel  the  appearance  of  the  Son  of  God, 
the  Logos,  in  the  form  of  an  angel.  Tlavrl  BfjXov — says 
Basil,  adv.  Eunom.  ii.  18 — on  evOa  koI  dyyeXof;  koL  ©eo<i  6 
avTO<;  TrpocrrjyopeveTai  o  fjiovoyev)]^;  icm  BrjXovfievo'i,  This 
prevailing  ancient  ecclesiastical  view  found  welcome  support 
in  Isa.  ix.  5,  LXX.  (/jLeyaXr)^  /SouA.?}?  ciyyeXo'^),  and  Isa. 
Ixiii.  9,  LXX.  {ov  irpia^vi  ov8e  ayyeXo'i,  aXA,'  avroq).  On 
the  other  hand,  the  view  that  the  angel  of  God  is  everywhere 
a  created  angel,  is  found  in  the  ancient  Church  only  in  the 
Clementines  (Rom.  xx.  7,  in  the  closing  portion  made  known 
by  means  of  Dressel).  It  is  also  found  in  Augustine,  Jerome, 
Gregory  the  Great,  most  decidedly  in  Theodore  and  Theodoret, 
and  more  recently  in  Grotius,  Clericus,  and  Calixtus.  This 
view  has  now  for  a  long  time  been  discredited,  because 
Jewish  expositors  since  the  IVIiddle  Ages  (see  Levi  b.  Gerson 


GENESIS  XVI.  7.  19 

on  Gen.  xvi.  V)  have  maintained  the  creaturehood  of  the 
angel  of  Jahveh  in  an  antichristian,  and  Socinians  in  an 
antitrinitarian  interest.  More  recently  however  Steudel  has 
been  the  first  to  attempt  its  complete  establishment,  and 
V.  Hofmann,  Banmgarten  and  Kohler  {Comm.  on  Zcchariah., 
1861)  are  on  the  same  side.  The  history  (xviii.— xix.  28) 
will  show  that  the  LOED  is  conceived  of  as  being  in  each  of 
the  three  angels  there  appearing ;  that  not  one  is,  in  preference 
to  the  others,  Jahveh  Himself  in  visible  manifestation,  but 
that  all  three  are  so,  though  in  different  manners,  according 
to  the  will  of  God,  who  is  using  them  as  His  organs,  hence 
that  all  three  are  finite  spirits  made  visible  (Philo,  0pp.  ii.  1 7  : 
lepai  Kol  Oelat  (pvaei^,  vTroSiuKovoi  fcal  vTrap-^ot  rov  irpciirov 
©£ou,  so  too  Josephus  and  the  Talmud,  Mczta  865).  Where 
then  the  'n  "]S^D  appears,  it  will  not  be  Jahveh  Himself,  but 
the  angel  (^'j^P^l',  xlviii.  16),  or  an  angel  (is^D  without  an 
art..  Ex,  xxiii.  20,  xxxiii.  2;  Num.  xx.  16;  Hos.  xii.  5) 
in  whom  Jahveh  is  and  of  whom  He  makes  use  as  His 
organ.  That  the  angel  of  Jahveh  can,  without  being  Jahveh 
Himself,  call  himself  and  let  himself  be  called  Jahveh, 
takes  place,  according  to  Bcraclwth  ver.  5,  h\y  ini^C'w^  ^320 
ini03  mx,  i.e.  because  the  delegated  is  equal  to  the  delegator. 
With  this  may  be  compared  that  in  the  Iliad,  18.  170  sqq. 
Iris,  the  messenger  of  Juno,  speaks  as  though  she  were 
herself  Juno,  and  Talthybios,  4.  204,  as  though  he  were 
the  person  who  sends  him ;  and  further,  that  in  Herodot. 
i.  212,  the  messenger  of  Tomyris  speaks  to  Cyrus  as 
though  he  were  Tomyris  himself;  Psameuit,  Herod,  iii.  14, 
to  the  messenger  of  Cambyses,  as  though  he  were  Cambyses ; 
Cyrus,  in  Xenoph.  Cyrop.  3.  3.  §  56,  to  the  ambassador  of 
Cyaxares,  as  though  the  latter  were  in  his  presence.  We 
Lave  too,  in  Zech.  ii.  12  sqq.,  a  remarkable  example  of  the 
words  of  Jahveh  and  His  angel  being  intermixed,  and  at 
Ptev.  xxii.  6  sqq.  a  New  Testament  parallel  entirely  corre- 
sponding to  the  manner  of  the  'n  ^sbo.      Here  the  very  same 


20  GENESIS  XVI.  7. 

angel,  who  elsewhere  distinguishes  himself  in  the  most 
decided  manner  from  God  and  His  Christ  (xxii.  9),  says :  IBov 
ep^o/jiai  ra^v.  The  angel  of  Jahveh,  speaking  from  him- 
self, prays  to  Jahveh,  Zech.  1.  12  :  How  long  wilt  Thou  not 
have  mercy  on  Jerusalem  and  the  cities  of  Judah  ?  And  at 
Zech.  iii.  2  he  says  to  Satan  :  Jahveh  rebuke  thee  !  which, 
according  to  Jude  9,  is  only  said  by  one  who  ov  roX/xd  Kpiaiv 
iTrevejKeiv  ^Xaa(prjfA,la<i  (see  Ivohler  on  Zech.  p.  60).  When 
then  he  says  to  Moses,  Ex.  iii.  6  :  I  am  the  God  of  thy 
fathers,  the  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  it  is  the 
invisible  God  who  is  speaking  from  him  who  is  His  organ. 
This  is  how  the  New  Testament  regards  it.  For  Stephen, 
Acts  vii.  30,  calls  the  angel  who  appeared  to  Moses  in  the 
burning  bush  dyyeXo'i  Kvpiov,  or,  according  to  A.  B.  C.  S., 
merely  ayye\o<;,  and  he  cannot  have  thought  of  the  angel,  of 
M'hom  he  says,  ver.  38,  that  he  spake  with  Moses  on  Mount 
Sinai,  as  a  Divine  Being,  since  he  says,  ver.  53  :  eXajSere 
vofiov  €t9  Siaraya^  ayyiXfov,  with  which  also  St.  Paul  agrees. 
Gal.  iii.  19  and  Heb.  ii.  2.  The  law  is,  as  distinguished 
from  the  direct  revelation  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus,  SiarayeU 
Bt'  dyyeXcov,  is  Bi  ayyeXcop  XaXr)6el<i  X0709 — these  New 
Testament  statements  are  absolutely  opposed  to  the  identi- 
fication of  the  angel  of  Jahveh  and  the  Logos.  Equally 
unfavourable  to  this  view  is  it,  that  the  author  of  the  Epistle 
to  the  Hebrews,  xiii.  2,  where  he  alludes  to  Gen.  xviii  19, 
would  certainly  have  expressed  himself  differently  if  he  had 
regarded  one  of  the  three  angels  as  directly  God  (a  fact  to 
which  Augustine  appeals,  de  civ.  xvi.  29).  Also,  that  in  the  two 
first  chaps,  of  St.  Matthew's  Gospel,  the  parallelism  of  which 
with  the  Pentateuchal  primitive  histories  is  unraistakeable, 
the  Old  Testament  angel  of  Jahveh  is  transformed  into 
ayyeXo'i  Kvpiov  (an  angel  of  the  Lord).  Hence  the  New 
Testament  Scriptures  are  on  our  side  if  we  say,  that  Jahveh 
manifests  Himself  in  the  IX^D,  in  a  manner  which  prefigures 
and  prepares  the  way  for  the  incarnation,  by  means  of  a 


GENESIS  XVI.  7.  21 

finite  spirit,  which  becomes  visible.  The  angel  of  Jahveh 
is  Jahveh's  D"'J3,  and  yet  he  is  not.^  He  is  VJQ,  Deut.  iv.  37, 
but  V3Q  ^^5r?,  Isa.  Ixiii.  9.  He  is  not  that  direct  Presence  of 
God  which  mortals  cannot  look  upon,  and  therefore  Manoah's 
fear  proved  groundless,  when  he  feared  he  should  die  because 
he  had  seen  God,  Judg.  xiii.  21  sqq.  The  angel  of  Jahveh 
is  an  angel  in  whom  Jahveh  lets  His  face  be  seen  (xxxii. 
31) ;  but  this  is  brought  to  pass  by  means  of  a  created  being, 
for  no  man  can  see  it  directly  without  dying,  Ex.  xxxiii.  20. 
He  is,  as  i^li??  Vr^  in  the  unique  passage,  Ex.  xxiii.  20-22, 
declares,  the  medium  and  mediator  of  God's  self-manifestation, 
but  not  God  manifest  Himself.  The  angelophanies  of  God 
were  a  prefiguration  of  His  Christophany.  Hence  the 
mediator  of  the  new  covenant  is  called,  Mah  iii.  1,  ^^5?'? 
nnnn  (comp.  Isa.  xlii.  6,  xlix.  8,  and  also  Heb.  iii.  1).  He 
is  called  tlms,  not  as  the  incarnate  angel  of  Jahveh,  but  as 
the  man  in  whom  Jahveh  fulfils  the  covenant,  for  the 
realization  of  which  He  was  preparing  the  way  by  appearing 
in  His  angel.  It  is  significant  that  in  our  passage  the  angel 
of  Jahveh  appears  first,  not  to  Abram,  but  to  Hagar,  and 
indeed  after  the  concluding  of  the  covenant,  ch.  xv.  If  he 
were  the  God  of  the  revelation  Himself,  his  appearance 
would  have  been  no  new  event,  since  Jahveh  had  not  only 
spoken,  but  also  appeared  (xii.  7)  to  Abram  before,  ch.  xv. 
If,  on  the  contrary,  the  appearance  by  the  means  of  the  angel 
is  a  new  and  peculiar  manner  of  revelation,  this  explains  the 
fact  of  its  not  taking  place  till  after  the  conclusion  of  that 
covenant,  the  purpose  of  which  it  was  appointed  to  serve, 
by  being  a  means  of  that  gradual  realization  of  its  promise 
which  was  now  commencing. 

Hagar  is  resting  by  a  fountain  when  he  finds  her;  '"^^'yPM, 
like  1  Chron.  xx.  2,  for  <}—.     A  fountain  is  called  TV,  as  though 

1  The  section,   Ex.  xxxii.  30-xxxir.  10,  can  no  more  than  Ex.  xiv.   19  be 

turned  to  account  in  ascertaining  what  is  the  idea  of  the  'n  "]S?D,  without 
critical  analysis. 


22  GENESIS  XVI.  8-12. 

it  were  a  weeping  eye  of  earth,  in  Spanish  Arabicizecl  as  ojo  de 
agua.  Shakespeare,  in  the  Winter  NigMs  Tale,  compares  a 
beautiful  landscape  to  a  female  face,  and  the  surface  of  the 
water  to  its  eyes.  Here  at  the  fountain  the  angel  sends 
Hagar  back  to  her  mistress,  vv.  8,  9  :  And  he  said :  Hagar, 
Sarai's  maid,  ivlicnce  earnest  thou  and  whither  goest  thou  ? 
She  said :  I  flee  'before  Sarai,  my  mistress.  And  the  angel 
of  Jahveh  said  to  her :  Beturn  to  thy  mistress,  and  how  thyself 
under  her  hands.  Upon  this  condition  he  promises  her, 
again  taking  the  initiative,  an  innumerable  posterity,  ver.  10: 
And  the  angel  of  Jahveh  said  to  her:  I  will  increase,  yea 
increase  thy  seed,  and  it  shall  not  he  ahle  to  he  numhered  for 
multitude.  Then  taking  the  initiative  for  the  third  time,  he 
promises  her  the  son  through  whom  the  promise  made  to 
Abram,  xv.  5,  shall  find  a  reflected  fulfilment  in  her  case,  on 
the  ground  of  her  belonging  to  the  patriarch's  family,  vv. 
11,  12:  And  the  angel  of  Jahveh  said  to  her:  Behold,  thou 
art  2^fi-'gnant,  and  shall  hear  a  son,  and  shall  call  his  name 
Jisma'el;  for  Jahveh  hath  heard  thy  afllietion.  And  he  shall 
he  a  wild  ass  of  a  man;  his  hand  shall  he  against  every  one, 
and  the  hand  of  every  one  against  him.  And  he  shall  divell 
eastward  of  all  his  hrcthren.  Together  with  the  participial 
adj.  nnn^  as  at  xxxviii.  24  and  frequently,  comp.  2  Sam. 
xi.  5,  stands  Ji^l?,  the  unaltered  root-form  of  Tnb'',  as  at 
Judg.  xiii.  5,  7  ;  comp.  on  the  contrary,  xvii.  19  ;  Isa,  vii.  4. 
Elsewhere  also  in  J,  from  iv.  1  onwards,  the  mother  appears 
as  the  giver  of  the  name,  as  the  father  does  in  Q,  from  v.  3 
onwards.  In  the  reason  for  the  name  ''i^J'O'J^';  we  have  nin* 
instead  of  the  more  obvious  n\n^s,  xxi.  17.  The  genitival 
combination  D'tx  N"iS),  a  wild  ass  of  human  species,  is  like  ?''?3 
D*]i?,  a  fool  of  human  species,  i.e.  one  conspicuous  in  it  as 
such,  Prov.  XV.  20.  This  image  of  the  t<"^3,  Arab. /em,  the 
beautiful  and  swift  animal  which  when  grown  cannot  be 
caught,  described  Job  xxxix.  5-8,  brings  vividly  before  us 
the  unbounded    love   of   freedom   of   the    hardy  and   frugal 


GENESIS  XVI.  13.  23 

Bedouin,  who  despises  the  life  of  cities,  and  roves  about, 
spear  in  hand,  in  the  desert  on  his  camel  (dehil),  or  subse- 
quently on  liis  horse.  The  words  'iJi  b^b^Vn^  it  describe  an 
incessant  war  of  attack  and  defence,  as  an  Arabic  poet 
says:  I  have  fraternized  with  war;  if  I  do  not  stir  up  the 
war  myself,  I  am  the  shield  of  him  who  stirs  it  up.' 
The  words  '"iJi  '?.f-^)3  (like  xxiii.  19,  xxv.  18)  state  the 
eastern  dwelling-place  of  the  Ishmaelites  among  those  of 
the  Abrahamites:  the  peninsula  between  the  Tigris,  the 
isthmus  of  Suez  and  the  Red  Sea,  which  became  the  cradle 
of  wandering  hordes  for  the  tropical  latitudes  of  North 
Africa  and  South  Asia,  an  active  human  fountain  whose 
streams  have  flowed  for  millenniums  far  and  wide,  eastward 
and  westward,  conquering  the  nations  from  the  Ebro  to  the 
Oxus,  and  remaining  themselves  invincible.  Hagar  rightly 
recognises  in  tlie  angel  who  had  thus  placed  before  her 
eyes  the  future  of  her  son,  the  Presence  of  Jahveh,  ver.  13: 
And  she  called  the  name  of  Jahveh  who  spake  to  her:  Oh, 
Thov,  God  of  sight;  for  she  said:  Have  I  here  also  looked 
after  him  that  secth  me  ?  She  calls  him  ''^5"^.  ?ii,  God  of 
seeing,  i.e.  the  All-seeing,  whose  all-seeing  eye  the  helpless 
and  forsaken  does  not  escape,  even  in  the  remotest  corner 
of  the  wilderness ;  for  —  as  she  says  —  have  I  here  (Q>1, 
elsewhere  hue,  Ex.  iii.  5,  here  hie),  even  here  in  the  wilder- 
ness, far  from  the  patriarch's  home,  looked  after  him  who 
is  seeing  me  (who  has  seen  me  ?).  "'fr?'"!  is  generally,  but 
wrongly,  taken  fnr  a  pausal  form  of  ''^57•,  which  must  have 
l)een  ""i^^,  with  the  tone  on  the  penultima,  like  '''f^,  from 
^")^,  Ezek.  xxvii.  17,  found  at  Job  vii.  8  (see  Baer)  as  a 
various  reading,  but  as  a  masoretically  authenticated  one,  only 
at  1  Sam.  xvi.  12.  And  ''n\^"i  is  usually  understood,  as 
already  by  Onkelos,  in  the  sense  of  vidcns  =  vivus  (like  opeoov 
or  SeSopK(o<;  —  ^mu)  mansi,  which  would  have  required  '^^51^ 
or  HNi  ^JS*,  or  better,  as  Wellh.  {Prolcg.  2nd  edit.  p.   339, 

'   Sdiwarzlose,  Lie  Wcifcn  der  alten  Araber  (1S86),  p.  34. 


24  GENESIS  XVI,  14. 

note  2)  reads,  according  to  Judg.  vi.  22,  xiii.  22,  Ex.  xxxiii. 
20  :  V^]  '^'^1.  But  this  ""nxj  makes  "•«-)  ''inx  inexplicable, 
which  cannot  mean  "  after  my  seeing "  (so  already  Gcsch. 
344),  for  which  "•riij^i  "'"inx  is  the  expression  required.  Hence 
''SI  "•"inx  must  be  taken  together,  nnx  in  a  local  sense,  like 
Isa.  xxxvii.  22,  and  the  "looking  after"  in  the  sense  of 
Ex.  xxxiii.  23.  Jahveh  appeared  to  her  in  His  angel. 
While  he  was  speaking  to  her  he  saw  her,  but  it  was  not 
granted  her  to  look  him  in  the  face ;  however,  as  he  was 
disappearing,  she  could  look  after  him,  whose  gracious 
Providence  had  not  overlooked  her  in  her  misery.  The 
fountain  also  received  a  name  from  the  occurrence,  ver.  14: 
Therefore  the  well  was  called  Beer  lachai  rot;  it  lies  between 
Kades  and.  Bered.  It  was  in  remembrance  of  Hagar's 
experience  a  sacred  place,  xxiv.  62,  xxv.  11.  The  \>  in  the 
name  is  the  Lamed  of  dedication,  like  Isa.  viii.  1.  If  WXi, 
13&,  could  mean  viviis  mansi,  the  explanation,  "  He  who  sees 
me  is  (remains)  alive,"  might  commend  itself;  but  then  God 
or  the  angel  would  be  the  speaker,  which  is  inconceivable. 
Hence  it  is,  on  the  contrary :  the  well  of  the  Living  One,  my 
beholder,  i.e.  who  sees  me  (like  Job  viii.  8,  instead  of  V^^ 
Isa.  xxix.  15,  or  ''J^5^,  Isa.  xlvii.  10).  Onkelos,  with  real 
correctness,  has :  Well  of  the  angel  of  the  Living  One  (^'^)''<P 
^P'i?),  who  made  himself  visible  to  me.  For  *^'1[^  and  "^"^^  the 
Syriac  has  :  between  npn  and  mj  n^3,  Onkelos :  between  Dpi  and 
N"ijn  (which  in  him,  ver.  7  =  "iVJ^,  Targ.  Jerus. :  between  Dpi  and 
n^ilbn  (Elusa) ;  the  Targums  elsewhere  render  Kadesh-Barnea 
by  (nx^n)  ni!''a  Dpi.  The  problematic  situation  of  Kadesli  was 
spoken  of  at  xiv.  7.  John  Eowlands,  whose  observations  H, 
Clay  Trumbull  found  on  the  spot  to  be  perfectly  trustworthy, 
discovered  Hagar's  well,  or  at  least  that  which  is  now  esteemed 

such,  at  Muweilih  (,^L'»^,  the  name  of  the  black  camel,  which 

is  esteemed  the  best),  a  place  still  provided  with  water,  south 
of  Beersheba.      It  is  a  chief  station  on  the  caravan  road  from 


GENESIS  XVIT.  25 

P>eersLeba  along  the  'Gebcl  es-Sur  which  runs  from  north  to 
south,  and  is  comhiued  by  Eowlands  with  -wS'.  Tlie  Bedouins 
not  only  connect  the  well  of  Muweilih,  but  also  a  rocky 
dwelling  in  the  neighbourhood,  with  Hagar,  perhaps  because 
.sriA  and  ,.sn.:s-  (rock)  seem  to  them  as  much  combined  as  in 
tlie  Text.  Eec.  of  Gal.  iv.  25.  It  is  certainly  this  very  well 
of  which  Jerome  says  :  hodieque  Agar  2ndeus  dcmonstratur. 
Here  the  fu£!itive  Hagar  seems  to  have  had  that  manifestation 
of  God  by  which  she  was  directed  to  return  to  Abram's 
house.  She  also '  showed  herself  obedient,  and  became  the 
mother  of  Ishmael,  vv.  15,  16  :  And  Hagar  hare  Ahram  a 
son :  and  Ahram  called  the  name  of  his  son,  whom  Hagar  hare, 
Jihna'el.  And  Ahram  was  eighty-six  years  old  when  Hagar 
hare  Jismael  to  Ahram.  That  what  the  angel  had  predicted 
came  to  pass  is  told  by  J  also,  but  the  Eedactor  preferred  to 
reproduce  it  as  found  in  Q.  The  birth  of  Ishmael  took  place 
in  Abram's  eighty-sixth  year,  for  he  was  seventy-five  years  old 
at  his  entry  into  Canaan,  and  ten  years  (ver.  4)  together  with 
the  time  of  Hagar's  pregnancy  had  elapsed.  Abram  has  now 
a  son,  but  is  he  the  seed  which  the  promises  of  God  have  in 
view  ?  This  question  Abram  cannot  himself  answer.  He 
must  often  have  asked  it  of  God,  till  at  last  he  received  the 
answer  related  ch.  xvii. 


THE  SIGN  OF  THE  COVENANT,  THE  CHANGE  OF  NAME,  AND  THE 
PROMISE  OF  THE  BIRTH  OF  ISAAC,  CH.  XVII. 

The  third  section  of  Abram's  life  begins  with  ch.  xvii.,  a 
portion  characteristic  of  Q.  Elohim  seals  His  covenant  with 
Abram,  giving  him  the  name  of  promise,  Abraham,  and  insti- 
tuting circumcision  as  the  sign  of  the  covenant  (1-14).  Sarai 
also  receives  the  name  of  promise,  Sarah,  and  is  now  distinctly 
designated  as  the  mother  of  Isaac,  who,  while  to  Ishmael  also 
are  awarded  abundant  blessings,  is  to  receive  the  one  all-sur- 


26  GENESIS  XVII. 

passing  blessing,  that  God  will  make  with  him  and  with  his 
seed  an  everlasting  covenant  (15—22).  Elohim,  who  has  since 
the  Fall  been  enthroned  far  from  men,  and  since  the  Flood  far 
from  the  earth,  having  reascended,  Abraham  in  his  ninety-ninth 
year,  and  in  Ishmael's  thirteenth,  circumcises  himself,  his  son 
and  his  whole  household  (23-27).  Thus  this  first  portion  of 
the  third  section,  which  corresponds  with  and  continues  the  first 
portion  of  the  second  section,  falls  into  three  strictly  distinct 
divisions.  This  strophic  artistically  rounded  off  design,  with  its 
terminating  exclamations,  its  frequent  repetitions  like  strokes 
upon  the  same  nail,  the  Divine  names  D^^^x  and  ''Tc^  ^;x,  the 
whole  systemof  favourite  expressions  grouped  about  these  names 
and  always  found  with  them  (n-inx,  jj?_33  px,  nnrp,  iMn  not 
"i^j,  JT'-ia  D''pn  and  nna  jn:  not  nnn  m!),  ^?]"^3,  '^^'"''■'r',  ^^P  '^^^, 
Dnjp,  cipa-njpp^  n'-syn  Ninn  e'san  nn-iDJi,  rhsu  mnx^  and  fT'in"^ 
thSv,  n;rn  Di'[i  Ci>*y3,  nnni  nis),  in  short  all  and  everything  bears 
the  mark  of  Q,  who  here  gives  completely  in  its  historical 
place  an  important  portion  of  the  Thorah,  which  is  after- 
wards taken  for  granted  in  the  Codex,  Lev.  xii.  3,  witliout 
farther  explanation.  Elsewhere  too  he  refers  to  this  funda- 
mental confirmation  of  the  covenant,  Ex.  vi.  3  sq.,  and  when 
xvii.  16  sq.  is  compared  with  xviii.  10—15,  shows  himself  to 
be  an  independent  and  separate  narrator,  rinn  is  repeated 
thirteen  times,  whence  an  ancient  eulogy  of  circumcision 
{Nedarim  oil),   comp.  Bcrachoth  48&)  says:   im^:::' n^"'D  n^nj 

There  has  been  much  contention  as  to  whether  a  custom 
existing  elsewhere  was  transferred  by  Divine  sanction  to  the 
race  of  the  promise,  or  whether  the  origin  of  all  circumcision 
is  to  be  traced  back  to  its  Divine  sanction  for  Abram.  The 
circumcision  of  boys  of  thirteen,  already  existing  among  the 
Arabic  Ishmaelites  before  Moliammed  (Joseph.  Ant.  i.  12.  2), 
refers  itself  to  the  patriarch  as  a  component  part  of  the  Din 
Ibrahim  (the  religion  of  Abraham).  There  is  however,  besides 
these  two  possibilities,  still  a  third.     When  Herodotus  testifies 


\ 


GENESIS  XVI  r.  27 


to  the  customariness  of  circumcision  among  the  Colchians, 
Egyptians  and  ^Ethiopians,  among  the  Syrians  at  the  rivers 
Thermodon  and  Parthenios,  among  the  Phcenicians  and 
Macronians,  and  remarks  that  the  Palestinian  Syrians  and 
the  Phoenicians  confess  to  having  learnt  it  from  the  Egyptians, 
as  tlie  Syriars  at  the  Thermodon  and  Parthenios  do  to  having 
it  from  the  Colchians  (ii.  104):  its  dissemination  by  way  of 
imitation  among  this  circle  of  nations  (to  which  belong  also, 
according  to  Liodorus,  iii.  32,  the  Troglodytes,  and  apparently, 
according  to  Jer,  ix.  25,  Edom,  Ammon  and  Moab)  is  indeed 
still  conceivable  ;  and  we  may  assume,  with  Ewald,  that  the 
still  existing  custom  among  the  Ethiopian  Christians,  the 
negroes  of  the  Congo,  etc.,  is  the  remnant  of  an  ancient 
African  view  of  the  matter  which  started  from  the  valley 
of  the  Nile.  But  we  also  meet  with  circumcision  in  America 
among  many  Indian  tribes,  e.g.  the  Salivas,  the  Guamos,  the 
Otamocos  on  the  Orinoco,  who  circumcise  infants  of  both 
sexes  on  the  eighth  day  after  birth,  as  also  among  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Yucatan  and  the  Mexicans  (see  Martins,  Indlancr 
Siidamer ilea's,  p.  582  sq.).  It  has  likewise  been  found  in  the 
South  Sea  Islands,  e.r/.  in  the  Fiji  Islands,  in  a  manner  similar 
to  the  Jewish,  and  among  the  most  southerly  negro  tribes,  e.g. 
the  Damaras  (Owaherero)  in  tropical  South .  Africa,  whose 
chiefs,  we  are  told  by  Francis  Galton,  slew  half  a  dozen 
oxen  on  a  circumcision  day,  as  on  a  day  of  festivity.  Here 
we  cannot  imagine  any  connection  with  either  the  Abrahamic 
or  the  ancient  Egyptian  circumcision,  unless  we  were,  with  the 
crack-brained  author  of  the  Palaeorama  (1868),  to  transfer  the 
primitive  history  of  mankind  from  Asia  to  America,  and  let  it  be 
played  out  originally  in  the  latter,  and  only  imitatively  in  the 
former.  The  case  is  the  same  with  heathen  circumcision  as 
with  heathen  sacrifice.  As  sacrifice  arose  from  the  feeling  of 
the  need  of  an  atonement,  so  did  circumcision  from  the  feeling 
of  the  impurity  of  human  nature.  This  too  is  the  point  of 
sight  under  which  it  is  placed  in  Israel.     The  uncircumcised 


28  GENESIS  XVII. 

is  esteemed  as  ^t?^,  the  foreskin  np-iy  as  <^^^^  JKar  i^.,  on 
which  account  hereditary  spiritual  uncleanness  is!  figuratively- 
called  (Lev.  xxvi.  41;  Deut.  x.  16,  xxx.  6  and  frequently) 
np^J?  of  the  heart,  while  circumcision  is  regarded  iis  the  taking 
away  of  nsrpD  (whence  it  is  in  Arabic  simply  ■  called  tuhur 
or  tathir,  purification),  and  as  the  first  of  all  covenant  duties 
for  every  member  of  the  holy  nation,  Ex.  xix.  6  .;  comp.  Num. 
xvi.  3.  The  uncircumcised  appeared  not  merely  as  one 
^«tanding  outside  the  holy  covenant,  but  also  a^  one  naturally 
unclean  (comp.  Ex.  xii.  48  with  Lev.  vii.  20).  The  natural 
and  ethical  prerequisites  of  circumcision  are  however  implied 
in  each  other.  The  reason  for  circumcision  appearing  as  a 
requirement  of  bodily  purity,  is  to  be  found  in  the  fact  that 
human  natural  life  culminates  in  the  intercourse  of  the  sexes, 
and  therefore  its  carnalization  culminates  in  the  flesh  Kar  i^. 
("ib'B,  Lev.  XV.  2  ;  Ezek.  xvi.  26),  that  there  is  the  chief  seat 
of  both  moral  and  natural  impurity,  and  that  there  sin  prevails 
most  unrestrictedly  and  is  transmitted  in  ever  new  combina- 
tions from  parents  to  children.  Hence  also  the  injunction 
that  the  child  is  to  be  circumcised  on  the  eighth  day  after 
birth  (ver.  12  ;  Lev.  xii.  3),  for  both  the  male  child  and  she 
who  bare  him  are  in  a  state  of  uncleanness  for  seven  days, 
and  the  child  is  not  to  be  subjected  to  circumcision  till  after 
separation  for  the  embryonal  aliment.  To  the  physico-ethic 
prerequisites  of  circumcision  is  also  added  the  historical,  viz. 
that  a  nation  of  redemption  is  to  be  begotten,  that  it  may 
become  the  redemption  of  the  nations.  There  is  therefore  no 
place  of  human  nature  which  could  be  more  in  need  of  a  sign 
of  the  Divine  approval  than  the  place  of  generation.  Circum- 
cision is  intended  to  show  that  God  approves  of  generatiou, 
notwithstanding  the  sinful  corruption  which  has  taken  posses- 
sion of  it,  and  purposes  to  use  it  in  that  work  of  redemption 
to  which  history  is  tending.  The  circumcised  man  is  to  know 
himself  to  be  a  member  of  a  tribal  and  national  society,  with 
which   God  has  entered  into  an  eternal  covenant,  upon  the 


GENESIS  XVII.  29 

ground  of  promises  which  have  for  their  contents  the  redemp- 
tion of  mankind,  and  whose  generations  form  a  genealogical 
chain  issuing  in  the  redemption  of  the  world.  Circumcision 
is  to  remind  him  of  the  covenant  into  which  he  has  entered 
with  God,  and  of  the  high  calling  in  which  he  has  a  share,  is 
to  be  to  him  a  perpetual  reminder,  warning  not  to  obstruct  in 
rude  immoral  lust  his  power  of  generation,  and  also,  in  its 
natural  use,  not  to  forget  its  impurity  and  need  of  sanctifica- 
tion.  So  far  circumcision  certainly  is  also,  as  Philo  says,  a 
sign  of  the  rj^ovoiv  eKTO/xr]  at  Karayorireuovac  Bidvoiav.  It  told 
the  man  that  he  had  Jahveh  for  his  bridegroom,  to  whom  he 
was  betrothed  by  the  blood  of  circumcision,  Ex.  iv.  25;  hence  not 
only  the  Jews,  but  the  Ishmaelites  and  the  Moslems  in  general, 
call  the  day  of  circumcision  the  circumcision  marriage,  and 
celebrate  it  with  the  solemnity  of  a  wedding.  Still  circum- 
cision is  no  sacrament  in  the  New  Testament  sense,  and 
differs  from  baptism  in  this  respect  also,  that  it  is  no  initiatory  , 
rite  properly  so  called.  It  is  not  circumcision  which  makes 
the  Israelite  an  Israelite,  i.e.  a  member  of  the  Israelite  Church. 
He  is  this  by  birth.  For  in  the  Old  Testament  the  nation 
and  the  Church  are  one  and  the  same.  Every  ^Nnb*^  p  belongs 
as  such  to  the  PXib'^  ^'Hi?,  for  God  has  placed  Israel  in  cove- 
nant relation  to  Himself,  and  in  virtue  of  this  position  the 
nation  is  at  the  same  time  a  religious  community.  This 
covenant  relation  involves  however  covenant  obligations, 
which  again  have  as  their  correlative  covenant  promises. 
The  first  of  all  these  covenant  obligations  is  the  np'^p.  The 
reception  of  circumcision  is  for  the  born  Israelite  the  fulfil- 
ment of  his  first  covenant  obligation.  The  born  Israelite  does 
not  thereby  become  a  member  of  the  'n  ?ni?,  but  proves  him- 
self to  be  such.  The  case  is  however  different  with  the 
Gentile.  He  can  in  no  other  manner  enter  the  community 
of  the  covenant  than  by  submitting  to  the  first  covenant 
obligation,  the  n^"'P,  by  which  he  at  the  same  time  takes  upon 
himself  all  the  duties  of  a  born  Israelite,  and  receives  all  his 


30  GENESIS  XVII. 

privileges  and  benefits.      Circumcision,  wliich  is  to  the  born 
Israelite   only  the  seal  of  the  relation  in  which  the  seed  of 
Abraham  is  placed  toward  Jahveh,  is  to  the  non-Israelite  the 
rite  of  admission,  which  qualifies  him  henceforth  to  keep  the 
Passover  with  Israel  (Ex.  xii.  43—49),  and   so  incorporates 
him    into    Israel    that    there    is    no   difference   between   the 
circumcised  "iji  and  the  nnT5<  (Ex.  xiL  48).      So  far  then  as  it 
compensates  in  the  case  of  the  non-Israelite  for  birth  among 
the  covenant  people,  and  in  that  of  the  Israelite  is  a  seal  of 
that  birth.  Circumcision  and  Baptism  may  certainly  be  com- 
pared   as    means    of  grace,   incorporating    into    the    Church, 
They   are  also   similar,  in  that  both   are  a  recasting  of  an 
already   existing    rite    of   purification,    for   the   sacrament  of 
Baptism  is  in  conformity  with  the  anj  rh^2l2  (the  baptism  of 
proselytes),  and  at  all  events  with  that  of  John  the  Baptist. 
In  other  respects   however  they  essentially  differ.      Circum- 
cision impresses  an  outward  characteristic.  Baptism  an  inward 
one.      Circumcision  places  a  man  in  relation,  by  way  of  pro- 
mise, to  the  coming  redemption  ;  Baptism,  by  way  of  imparta- 
tion,  to  the  redemption  that  is  come.      Circumcision  is  for  the 
seed  of  Abraham,  and  only  secondarily  for  those  who  enter  it ; 
Baptism  is  for  the  whole  human  race  without  national  preroga- 
tive, and  also  without  distinction  of  sex.     Circumcision  is  a  sign 
in  the  flesh  ;  Baptism  is  a  spiritual  transaction,  which  is  but 
transitorily  represented  in  the  earthly  element  of  water,  irepnoixr) 
a'^eLpoTTOL'qTo^,  Col.  ii.  11.     For  the  Old  Testament  Church  is 
the  visible  organism  of  a  nation ;  the  New  Testament  Church 
is,  on  the  contrary,  the  body  of  Christ,  i.e.  the  invisible  organism 
which  the  Lord,  who  is  the  Spirit,  has  produced  for  Himself. 
It  is  the  vocation  of  the  New  Testament  Church  to  carry  on 
the  development  of  that  spiritual  life  which  is  its  true  nature, 
and  to  procure   for  it  an  ever  more  and  more  commanding, 
sanctifying    influence    upon    the    natural,    both    within    and 
without  her  body  ;  it  is,  on  the  other  hand,  the  vocation  of 
the  Old  Testament  Church  more  and  more  to  internalize  and 


GENESIS  XVII.  1.  31 

spiritualize  the  sanctified  natural  life  wliicli  is  its  true  nature. 
The  tendency  of  the  New  Testament  Church  is  from  within 
outwards,  from  the  centre  to  the  circumference,  from  the 
world  to  come  to  this  world,  to  raise  the  latter  to  the  former. 
The  tendency  of  the  Old  Testament  Cliurch,  on  the  contrary, 
is  from  without  inwards,  from  the  circumference  to  the  centre, 
from  this  world  to  that  which  is  to  come. 

The  name  'n  just  appears,  ver.  1,  for  the  purpose  of  con- 
necting ch.  xvii.  with  ch.  xvi.  (comp.,  on  the  other  hand, 
XXXV.  11) :  Ahram  was  ninety  and  nine  years  old  when  Jalivch 
appeared  to  Ahram,  and  said  to  him :  I  am  El  ^Saddai  :  walk 
before  me,  and  he  spotless.  It  was  then  twenty-four  years  after 
his  migration,  thirteen  after  the  Lirth  of  Ishmael,  and  at  least 
fourteen  after  the  entering  into  covenant  of  ch.  xv.,  when 
Jahveh  appeared  to  him  to  seal  the  covenant  by  the  institu- 
tion of  a  sign.  The  divine  name  "''^^  is,  according  to  ancient 
interpretation,  the  same  as  '''^  ^T^,  He  who  is  self-sufficing —  ^ 
the  All-Suflticient  iKavo'^  (  =  atiT«/3/<:779),  which  can  in  no  respect 
be  accepted.  ISTeither  is  it  an  original  plural :  potentes  mei 
(Noldeke),  the  form  being  opposed  to  this  interpretation,  and 
no  trace  appearing  of  the  position  of  the  word  in  the  address ; 
but  it  is  from  ^T^  (according  to  the  form  ""an),  which,  from  the 
root  11  paning   of  making  fast   or   tight,  i.e.  knotting,  barring, 

ba  .leading,  contained  in  the  Arabic  Jw,  advances  to  that  of 
powerful  intervention,  and  not  from  a  synonymous  nnc',  which 
the  usage  of  the  Hebrew  language  does  not  exhibit,  nor  from 
a  synonymous  iw,  whence  '^p,  the  powerful,  the  Lord,  plur. 
Dnc',  Friedr.  Delitzsch  thinks  differently,^  and  would  refer 
this  Divine  name  to  the  Assyrian  kidil,  to  be  high.  But  even 
supposing  that  the  proper  name  i^^<"''!!y'  is  to  be  explained 
according  to  the  Assyrian  sade  uru,  the  rise  of  the  morning 
(="inti'n  nipy),  which  is  very  tempting,  and  granting  also  that 

•  See  liis  Prolerjomena,  p.  95  sq.     It  is  worthj'  of  notice  that  the  LXX.  trans- 
lates >1C'  ^X,  xvii.  1,  by  merely  a  0so;  nou,  xxviii.  3,  i  Qiit  fiou,  Ex.  vi.  3,  ewe 

i/v  alTuv,  and  Ps.   Ixviii.    15,   tcv  swau^av/ov. 


i^ 


32  GENESIS  XVII,  1. 

/the  form  "''^^,  not  ''^^,  can  be  referred  to  a  verb  ^^,  we  find 
^  the  meaning,  "  the  All-Powerful,"  far  more  sensible  than  tlie 
meaning,  "  the  All-elevated,"  for  which  the  Hebrew  has  a 
whole  series  of  other  words,  as  li^^y,  D"i  (Dno)  n^y^  2ab>3.  The 
most  ancient  feeling  for  language  derived  ''"^C^'  from  ^^t^>,  as 
may  be  inferred  from  Joel  i.  15,  and  the  former  meaning  is 
in  any  case  more  helpful  to  the  understanding  of  Ex.  vi.  2  sq. 
than  the  latter.  The  Divine  names,  D\"ibs,  nD*  bn,  nins  are  the 
sicrns-manual  of  three  decrees  of  Divine  revelation  and  Divine 
knowledge.  >  n^^^x  is  the  God  who  so  made  nature  that  it 
exists,  and  so  preserves  it  that  it  consists.  ""ID  ^S  is  the  God 
who  so  constrains  nature  that  it  does  His  will,  and  so  subdues 
it  that  it  bows  to  and  subserves  grace.  ^^  nin""  is  the  God  who 
carries  out  the  purposes  of  grace  in  the  midst  of  nature,  and 
at  last  puts  a  new  creation  of  grace  in  the  place  of  nature. 
n''rhii  is  the  God  who  created  the  soil  of  nature.  "'1^  ba 
(explained  by  Ibn  Ezra  and  Kimchi :  r]:Ybvi^  nDnj;on  nV3Q,  by 
Nachmani:  ni^ron-ns  mvj',  He  who  breaks  through  the  in- 
Jluxus  sidcrum,  and  therefore  the  course  of  nature)  is  the  God 
who  omnipotently  ploughs  it  and  scatters  therein  the  seed  of 
promise,  mn''  is  the  God  who  brings  this  seed  of  promise  tQ 
its  flower  and  fruit.  Hence  the  covenant  with  Noah  and  the 
ISToachid^e  was  made  in  the  name  W'rh^ ;  for  this  covt-  "  it  is 
by  its  very  nature  a  renewal  and  guarantee  of  the  oral  '  of 
creation,  which  had  been  broken  through  by  the  Flood ;  t'he 
covenant  with  the  patriarchs  in  the  name  nc'  i^X,  for  it  is  b^ 
its  nature  the  subdual  of  corrupted  and  perishable  nature  ant^ 
the  foundation  of  the  marvellous  work  of  grace ;  and  the 
covenant  with  Israel  in  the  name  nirr",  for  it  is  in  its  nature 
the  completion  of  this  work  of  grace  and  its  carrying  on  to 
the  climax  of  its  perfection,  to  which  nin"'  ^pN,  when  occurring 
in  the  history  of  the  patriarchs  (xv.  7,  xxviii.  13),  prophetic 
cally  points.  The  times  of  the  patriarchs  are  the  period  of 
El-Sbaddai.  Their  characteristic  is  the  violence  done  to  the 
natural  to  make  it  subserve  the  purposes  of  salvation.     The 


GENESIS  XVIT,  2-5.  33 

ethic  prerequisites  of  tliis  new  state  are,  with  respect  to 
Abram,  a  walk  with  constant  regard  to  God  and  a  disposi- 
tion entirely  devoted  to  Him  {^''^^,  see  on  vi.  9).  Thereupon 
God  offers,  ver.  2  :  So  vAll  I  make  my  covenant  letvjeen  me  and 
thee,  and  icill  increase  thee  heyond  measure,  properly  with 
weight,  weight  i.e.  in  the  most  important  and  intense  manner. 
The  phrase  rvi2  jn:  (here  as  at  ix.  12;  Num.  xxv.  1 2) 
designates  the  covenant  as  a  gracious  free  offer  of  God.  The 
impression  made  upon  Abram  by  the  appearance  and  word 
of  God,  ver.  3a ;  And  Ahram  fell  upon  his  face.  Continua- 
tion of  what  God  will  perform  in  accordance  with  His 
covenant  and  change  of  Abram's  name,  3&— 5 :  And  MoMm 
talked  vnth  Mm,  saying:  As  for  me,  hcJiold,  my  covenant  toitli 
thee,  and  thou  art  to  heeome  the  father  of  a  multitude  of  nations. 
And  no  longer  shall  thy  name  he'  called  Ahram  ;  hut  thy  name 
shall  he  Abraham,  for  the  father  of  a  multitude  of  nations  have 
I  appointed  thee.  V^  here,  like  ''23NI  at  xxiv.  27,  stands  first,  in 
an  absolute  sense,  correlatively  with  ^^^\  ver.  9.  Because 
the  covenant  implies  something  that  is  to  be,  ^''^ni.  may  be 
used  in  continuation,  in  the  sense  of  "  thou  art  to  become." 
The  1  before  n^n]  after  a  preceding  ^  has,  as  at  xlii.  10,  the 
meaning  of  "QN  '•3.  The  accusative  of  the  object  is  found 
with  passives  as  at  5«,  also  at  iv.  18,  and  frequently,  it  is  an 
ordinary  construction,  pis^  instead  of  ''3???  is  said  with  refer- 
ence to  the  name  ^v""]?!;:?,  in  which  ^X,  as  also  elsewhere  e.g. 
Diptrax  (with  Di7K'''as),  is  the  form  of  combination.  |ion  (from 
non,  to  roar,  to  rush),  which  symphonizes  with  the  last 
syllable  of  Qv"!?^,  is  purposely  chosen  instead  of  ^Dip,  xxxv.  11, 
xlviii.  4,  xxviii.  3.  And  while,  where  this  promise  is  made 
to  Jacob  xxviii.  3  (DMpy  hr\\h),  xxxv.  11  (D^ia  ^r]^:),  and  to 
Joseph  xlviii.  4  (Q''^y  ^^??),  D"'»y  (d"'13)  is  meant  of  the 
national  tribes  to  which  the  sons  of  Jacob  should  grow,  we 
must  here,  where  as  nowhere  else  D^^a  li^H  is  used,  under- 
stand not  Israel  alone,  but  all  the  nations  of  whom  Abraham 

became  the  ancestor :  the   Arab  tribes  descended  from  him 
VOL.  n.  . ,  I  c 


34  GENESIS  XVII.  6-11. 

through  Hagar  and  Keturah  and  the  Edomites.  The  quota- 
tion too  (Eom.  iv.  17)  presupposes  that  the  promise  extends 
beyond  Israel — tlie  apostle  placing  it  in  the  light  of  xii.  3, 
and  understanding  it  spiritually.  The  name  D";3X  means 
exalted  father,  or,  the  father  is  exalted,  which  certainly  is  to 
be  understood  as  a  word  of  acknowledgment  with  respect 
to  God,  like  ns''^X,  God  is  a  father,  nTy"'a^<,  the  father  is  a 
support,  and  the  like  (see  Nestle,  Eigcnnamcn,  pp.  182-188). 
By  the  change  to  Dm2X,  the  acknowledgment  of  God  on  the 
part  of  him  who  is  named  becomes  God's  acknowledgment 
of  him.  For  Cin"i3X  means — and  this  is  certainly  the  best 
explanation  —  father  of  a   QD1   (~P^-C)j  o^  ^  rushing,  i.e.  a 

noisy,  multitude  (Arab.   Anj  ;  comp,  Isa.  xvii.  12,  13) ;  nor  is 

it  perhaps  accidental  that  a  n,  the  fundamental  letter  of  nin"",  is 
interwoven  in  it.  After  the  name  of  the  patriarch  is  made  the 
prophetic  cipher  of  his  high  destiny,  the  promise  is  further  « 
unfolded  and  repeated  in  grander  terms  than  ever  before,! 
vv.  6-8  :  And  I  will  make  thee  exceedingly  fruitful  ocyond 
oneasure,  and  appoint  thee  to  he  nations,  and  Icings  shall  come 
forth  from  thee.  And  I  will  cstaUish  my  covenant  hcfivecn  me 
and  thee  and  thy  seed  after  thee,  according  to  their  generations, 
for  an  everlasting  covenant,  to  he  a  God  to  thee  and  to  thy  seed 
after  thee.  And  I  will  give  unto  thee,  and  to  thy  seed  after  thee, 
the  land  of  thy  pilgrimage,  the  ivhole  land  of  Canaan,  for  an  ever- 
lasting possession,  and  I  will  he  their  oum  God.  This  fact  to  which 
the  promise  returns  is  the  climax  of  the  covenant:  God  promises 
Himself,  with  all  that  He  is  and  purposes  and  can  effect,  to  the 
descendants  of  Abraham.  Henceforth  the  narrative  no  longer 
speaks  of  the  patriarch  as  Ahram,  but  as  Abraham. 

The  Divine  address  having  now  reached  the  goal  so 
admirably  prepared  for,  begins  again,  vv.  9-11  :  Elohim.  said 
also  to  Abraham :  And  as  for  thee,  thou  shall  observe  my 
covenant,  thou  and  thy  descendants  after  thee,  according  to  their 
generations.     This  is  my  covenant,  which  ye  shall  observe,  between 


GENESIS  XVII.  0-14.  35 

7ne  and  ijou  and  thy  seed  after  tlicc :  Every  male  among  yuw 
shall  he  circumcised.  Ye  shall  circumcise  the  flesh  of  your 
foreskin,  and  it  shall  he  the  sign  of  a  covenant  hetwccn  me  and 
you.  The  obverse  to  V^j!,  Aa,  folIows_in  tjija  j^J?j$V-tIiou,  on" 
thy  part.  Si"  nnn  WpT\  means  at  one  time  the  making,  at 
another  the  confirmation,  of  a  covenant,  so  does  JTina  mean 
at  one  time  a  covenant  promise,  at  another,  as  here,  a 
covenant  obligation  or  condition.  To  circumcise  (comp.  on 
the  notion.  Job  xxiv.  24)  is  called  ?!?9  (V  ^o,  perhaps  related 
to  10,  from  the  drawing  backwards  and  forwards  of  the  cut- 
ting instrument),  Niph.  ^tp},  whence  Dnpo3  =  Dri?p3  (with  an 
accus.  of  the  object,  as  is  also  the  case  with  the  passive  at 
vv.  5,  14,  24),  not  from  a  verb  ^^},  which  does  not  exist  in 
this  sense,  and  probably  also  the  impf  ??3"'  (Ps.  xxxvii.  2  ; 
Job  xiv.  2,  xviii.  16);  or  ^i»  (post-biblical  Pn^),  Niph.  biSJ 
(according  to  the  post-biblical  formation,  ji'^?,  >i5»*3,  pifJ,  Luzz. 
Gramm.  §  521),  whence  the  imperatively  used  inf.  ahs.  biEH^ 
10&.  The  mode  of  performance  is  now  more  particularly 
defined,  the  law  of  circumcision  specialized,  vv.  12-14:  And 
eight  clays  old  shall  every  male  he  circumcised  according  to  your 
generations:  the  home-horn  and  the  hought  with  money  of  all 
strangers,  who  do  not  helong  to  thy  seed.  Circumcised,  yea, 
circumcised  shall  he  thy  home-horn  and  he  that  is  houglit  with 
thy  money,  and  my  covenant  shall  he  in  your  flesh  for  an 
everloMing  covenant.  And  an  uncircumciscd  one,  a  male,  who 
is  not  circumcised  in  the  flesh  of  his  foreskin — this  soul  shall 
he  extirpated  from  his  felloio- countrymen,  my  covenant  has  he 
hroken.  Circumcision  is  to  be  performed  on  a  child  when  he 
is  eight  days  old,  in  which  injunction  seven  days  are  reckoned, 
according  to  Lev.  xii.,  for  purification  from  the  uncleanness 
which  adheres  to  the  child  as  well  as  to  the  mother  directly 
after  birth.  It  is  also  to  be  performed  on  every  slave  of  the 
patriarchal  family,  whether  vernae  or  mancijna,  so  that  the 
family  may  be  esteemed  a  nnity  which  is  neither  accidental 
nor  one  merely  serving  the  earthly.     Especially  must  this  be 


36  GENESIS  XVII.  15,  16. 

the  case  with  the  nation  developing  in  this  family,  into  which 
all  who  are  susceptible  of  salvation  in  the  heathen  world  are 
to  be  incorporated  by  circumcision  as  subsequently  by  baptism. 
Extirpation  ('"innsj"!)  from  the  national  society  is  to  be  the  lot 
of  the  uncircumcised.  The  same  threat  is  found  with  the 
command  to  observe  the  Sabbath,  there  including  the  capital  ' 
punishment  to  be  inflicted  by  the  congregation,  Ex.  xxxi.  14, 
comp.  also  xxxv.  2,  Num.  xv.  32-36  ;  its  proper  meaning 
however  is  the  being  snatched  away  by  direct  Divine  judg- 
ment, according  to  tradition  the  premature  and  childless  death 
of  one  who  is  uncircumcised  and  of  full  age.  In  this  threat 
of  the  so-called  Carath,  >}''^V^  (for  which  Ex.  xxxi.  14  has 
iTJsy  37j5p)  is  interchanged  with  the  synonymous  bx"ib"D^  Ex. 
xii.  15,  Num.  xix.  13,  or  bxib'^  myo  Ex.  xii.  19,  Num. 
xvi.  9.  The  plural  n"'Sj;  does  not  assume  that  the  singular 
oy  may  signify  a  single  fellow-countryman  (as  the  post-biblical 
••13  means  also  a  single  heathen) ;  QV  means  the  people  as  a 
whole,  and  C^V  the  parts  of  the  whole  nation  (tribes,  families 
and  individuals,  Dyn  V.?,  Lev.  xix.  18,  comp.  16).  The 
reason  "iS^i  'T'''"'?"'^^  implies  that  it  is  not  dcfedus,  but  con- 
temtus,  which  incurs  the  penalty  of  the  Carath ;  on  the  pausal 
.^nan  like  'j?!?,  Isa.  xviii.  5,  see  Ges.  §  67,  note  6. 

The  Divine  address  begins  again.  Sarai's  name,  which 
she  brought  with  her  from  her  heathen  ancestral  home,  is 
also  to  be  transformed,  in  accordance  with  the  new  times 
rich  in  promise,  Vv^hich  were  to  begin  with  Abraham,  vv. 
15,  16:  And  Ulohim  said  to  Ahraliam:  Sarai  thy  wife — 
tliou  sJialt  not  call  her  name  Sarai,  for  Sarah  shall  her  name 
he.  And  I  will  hlcss  her  and  also  give  thee  a  son  of  her, 
and  will  hless  her  and  she  shall  become  nations.  Kings  of 
nations  shall  arise  from  her.  The  fundamental  letter  of 
the  name  nin''  is  entwined  in  the  name  of  the  ancestress 
also  of  that  promised  seed,  which  is  the  germ  and  star  of 
the  promised  future.  The  warlike  ("'li^',  LXX.  Hdpa,  from 
mb',   to   struggle,  to    fight,  with   "  the    old    feminine    suffix. 


GENESIS  XVII.  17-21.  37 

which  still  occurs  iii  the  Syriac  as  ai,  and  is  written  i 
ill  the  Arabic,  e  in  the  Ethiopic,"  DMZ.  xl.  183)  becomes 
a  princess  (n"ib',  fern,  of  li?',  prince,  LXX.  Xappa,  with 
double  /5  as  a  compensation  for  the  length  of  tlie  a; 
Assyr.  larratic,  fem.  of  mrric,  according  to  Friedr.  Delitzsch,^ 
from  sardru,  to  rise  brilliantly,  to  beam  forth).  She  is  to 
become  2'i3,  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel,  and  the  multitude 
of  the  heathen  spiritually  incorporated  therein  being  traced 
back  to  her.  The  promise  now  included  Sarah  also  in  its 
miraculous  circle.  Impression  made  upon  Abraham  by  the 
glorious  yet  paradoxical  announcement,  ver.  17  :  And 
AbraJiam  fell  upon  his  face  and  laiighcd,  and  he  said  in 
his  heart :  Shall  a  child  he  horn  to  one  a  hundred  years  old, 
or  shall  Sarah  —  shadl  one  that  is  ninety  years  old  hear  ? 
The  succession  of  interrogative  particles  n  ' '  DN1  * "  n  is  more 
emphatic  than  at  Num.  xi.  12,  22,  and  the  Dagesh  in 
i^pn  is  like  xviii.  21,  xxxvii.  32.  His  desire  concerning 
the  son  whom  he  already  has,  ver.  18:  And  AhraJtam  said 
to  God :  Would  that  Ishmael  might  live  in  Thy  sight  !  That 
he  might  only  remain  an  object  of  God's  loving  care !  (Prov. 
iv.  3).  This  shall  suffice  him ;  he  ventures  to  ask  and  to 
hope  for  nothing  higher.  God's  answer  to  the  petition  which 
thus  evades  His  promise,  vv.  19—21:  And  God  said:  Nay, 
hut  Sarah  thy  wife  shall  surely  hear  thee  a  son,  and  thou 
shall  call  his  name  Isaac,  and  I  establish  my  covenant  loith 
him  for  an  everlasting  covenant,  with  his  seed  after  hiyi. 
And  as  for  Ishmael,  I  have  heard  thee :  Behold,  I  have  blessed 
him  and  made  hint  fruitful  and  increased  him  exceedingly ; 
twelve  ijrinces  shall  he  beget;  and  I  have  apiiointed  him  for 
a  greoi  nation.  But  my  covenant  I  establish  with  Isaac, 
ivhom  Sarah  shall  hear  unto  thee  about  tins  time  in  the  next 
year.  The  particle  ?^^?  (apparently  from  V  ^3,  whence  also 
''?,  ^^'^j  to  be  powerful  =^jo^c?i^cr,  vcro)  introduces  a  counter- 
assurance,  and  then  an  assurance  in  general  (comp.  Eruhin 

^  See  the  satisfactory  proof  in  Lis  Prolajomcna,  p.  92, 


38  GENESIS  XVIL  22-27. 

2Qb,  bm  ]^b  nON*,  tliej  answered :  certainly).  The  S  of 
7Xy»t^'v^  is  that  of  reference,  as  at  xix,  21,  xlii.  9;  corop. 
Isa.  xxxii.  lb.  On  the  twelve  D''^5''b'3  of  Ishmael,  see 
XXV.  12-16.  Ishmael  also  is  abundantly  blessed,  but  the 
covenant  surpassing  all  that  is  earthly  is  made  with  Isaac, 
who  will  be  born  about  this  time,  n"]!^^'^  '^t^'^j  ^^  the  year 
next  following,  properly  that  coming  behind  the  present ; 
comp,  oTTiaOev,  afterwards  =  future  (see  this  referred  to, 
xxi.  2).  The  name  Jishah  (laugher)  is  to  be  the  con- 
tinuous expression  of  the  impression  made  upon  Abraham 
by  the  promise.  Its  matter  was  so  immensely  great  that  he 
fell  in  adoration  on  the  earth,  so  immensely  paradoxical  that 
he  could  but  involuntarily  laugh.  Contrast  is  the  essence  of 
the  ridiculous.  What  "•nc'  i?x  does,  takes  nature  captive  to 
the  obedience  of  grace,  and  reason  to  the  obedience  of  faith. 

Cessation  of  the  Divine  address,  ver.  22  :  And  when  He 
had  ended  His  speaking  ivith  him,  Elohim  went  up  leaving 
Abraham.  Jerome  also  marks  the  period  thus :  ut  dcsiit 
loqiii  cum  eo,  etc.  22«  being  logically  an  accessory  sentence, 
the  subject  C:"'n7X  is  reserved  for  the  principal  sentence, 
by'l  can  signify  that  God  went  away  from  Abraham,  withdrew 
from  him  (comp.  Ex.  xxxiii.  1) ;  but  the  parallel  passage, 
XXXV.  13,  shows  that  ascension  to  heaven  is  intended, — the 
heavenly  one  then  had  descended,  for  since  the  Fall  God  is 
far  from  man,  and  since  the  Flood  the  place  of  His  throne 
has  been  super-terrestrial.  Abraham  now  executes  the  order 
of  Him  who  has  disappeared,  vv.  23-27:  And  Abraham 
took  Ishmael  his  son  and  all  his  servants  born  in  his 
house  and  bought,  every  male  among  the  2^cople  of  Abraham's 
house,  and  circumcised  the  flesh  of  their  forcshin  on  the  same 
day,  as  Elohim  had  said  unto  him.  And  Abraham  ivas 
ninety  -  nine  years  old  when  the  flesh  of  his  foreskin  ivas 
circumcised.  And  Ishmael  his  son  was  seventeen  years  old 
when  the  flesh  of  his  foreskin  ivas  circumcised.  On  one  and 
the  same  day  was  Abraham  circumcised  and  Ishmael  his  son. 


GENESIS  XVIII.,  XIX.  39 

And  all  the  people  of  his  house,  the  home-horn  and  those  bought  of 
a  stranger,  ivcrc  circumcised  ivith  him.  The  n  of  ''^^^^,  23a, 
is  partitive,  like  vii,  21,  xxiii.  18,  and  like  the  p  of  ?3p, 
121) ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  nxp,  27a,  according  to  Lev. 
xxvii.  24,  comp.  Gen.  x.xiii.  20  (=TP,  xxxiii.  19),  belongs 
to  riJpjp,  Dvy  in  biblical  Hebrew  serves  to  denote  naturally 
lifeless,  as  t^'23  does  a  naturally  living  being,  hence  eo  ipso 
die,  codem  die.  On  account  of  the  great  importance  of 
circumcision,  the  obligation  of  which  is  presupposed  in 
subsequent  legislation,  its  performance  is  related  as  circum- 
stantially and  accurately  as  possible. 


THE  HEAVENLY  MESSENGERS  AT  MAIIRE  AND  SODOM, 
CHS.  XVIII.-XIX. 

1.  Renewed  promise  of  a  son  hy  Sarah,  xviii.  1-15. 

The  Elohistic  introduction,  ch.  xvii.,  which,  by  relating  the 
inauguration  of  a  new  period  for  Sarah  and  Abraham,  at 
the  same  time  prepares  for  the  birth  of  the  son  of  promise, 
is  followed  by  the  second  portion  of  the  third  section  of 
Abraham's  life,  chs.  xviii.-xix.  In  this  the  angelic  visits  in 
the  grove  of  Mamre  and  in  Sodom,  together  with  the 
promises  in  the  former  case  and  the  infliction  of  judgment 
in  the  latter  which  accompanied  them,  are,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  xix.  29,  narrated  throughout  by  that  master  of  the 
epic  art,  J.  He  is  at  once  recognisable  by  the  flowing, 
vivid  and  graphic  mode  of  statement  which  both  enters 
into  details  and  stedfastly  pursues  its  conscious  object,  by 
the  Divine  name  rm\  together  with  ijis',  by  the  promise  that 
the  nations  shall  be  blessed  in  the  seed  of  the  patriarchs, 
xviii.  18,  comp.  xii,  3,  and  by  certain  favourite  expressions, 
such  as  i<,2-n3n  xviii.  27,  31,  xix.  2,  7,  19,  20  comp.  xii. 
11  ;  |?'?y  "'3  xviii.  5,  xix.  8  comp.  xxxiii.  10,  xxxviii. 
26;    Num.    x.    31,   xiv.   43;    n^  ns?    xviii.    13    comp.    xxv. 


40  GENESIS  XVIII.  1-3. 

22,  32,  xxxiii.  15,  The  style  touches  closely  upon  the 
Deuterouomic,  e.g.  in  the  frequent  energetic  imperfect  form 
in  iln,  xviii.  28-32,  and  in  the  7^?  contracted  from  npx,  xix. 
8,  25  comp.  xxvi.  3,  4,  Deut.  iv.  42,  vii.  22,  xix.  11 
(elsewhere  only  once  in  the  Law  of  Holiness,  Lev.  xviii.  27 
and  1  Chron.  xx.  8).  The  first  part  of  this  historical  picture, 
extending  from  xviii.  1  to  xix.  28  (29),  and  continuing  in 
the  appendix,  xix.  30  sqq.,  viz.  xviii.  1-16,  is  (within  the 
extant  composition  of  extracts  from  sources),  as  it  were,  the 
continuous  historical  development  of  xvii.  21.  Por  the 
promise,  which  forms  the  central  point  of  xviii.  1-1 G,  is  not 
very  differently  expressed,  vv.  10  and  14.  Hence  it  was 
not  long  after  the  institution  of  circumcision  that  the  heavenly 
visitants  made  their  appearance.  Theophanies  increase  in 
frequency  in  proportion  as  that  great  event  in  the  history  of 
redemption,  the  birth  of  Isaac,  draws  near. 

What  follows  is  in  accordance  with  its  nature  introduced 
as  an  appearance  of  Jahveh,  ver.  1  :  And  Jahveh  cqjpearccl 
to  Mm  ly  the  tercljintlis  of  Mamre,  as  he  was  sitting  at  the 
door  of  the  tent  in  the  heat  of  the  day.  The  grove  of  Mamre 
has  continued  to  be  the  abode  of  Abraham  since  xiii.  18, 
xiv.  13.  bT\^r\  nns  is,  like  10&,  the  accus.  of  the  place. 
He  was  sitting  outside  in  the  shadow  of  the  tent,  when 
suddenly  a  surprising  sight  appeared,  ver.  2  :  And  he  lifted 
lip  his  eyes  and  looked,  and,  lo,  three  men  standing  at  a  short 
distance  from  him.  He  saiu  and  ran  to  meet  them,  and  towed 
himself  to  the  earth.  The  impression  of  the  uncaused  is 
enhanced  by  the  expression  n^ni.  To  remain  standing  was^ 
according  to  custom,  an  unassuming  appeal  to  hospitality. 
V^y  over  against  him  is  equivalent  to  at  some,  but  not  at 
a  great  distance  from  him.  The  invitation  and  its  accept- 
ance, vv.  3-  5  :  And  he  said :  0  Lord,  if  novj  I  have  found 
graee  in  Thine  eyes,  pass  not  aivay  from  Thy  servant.  Let  a 
little  water  he  fetehed  and  wash  your  feet  and  rest  binder  the 
tree.     And  L  will   bring  a  piece  of  I  read,  and  strengthen  ye 


GENESIS  XVm.  6-8.  41 

your  heart,  after  that  ye  may  go  farther,  for  therefore  are  ye 
come  to  your  servant ! — Tliey  said :  So  do  as  thou  hast  said. 
With  the  expression  of  the  condition  is  blended  in  NJ"QX,  the 
wish  that  it  may  be  so;  so  too  at  xxiv.  42,  xxxiii.  10,  xlvii. 
29,  1.  4;  Ex.  xxxiii.  13,  xxxiv.  9;  compare  the  simple  CX 
Num.  xxxii.  5,  xi.  15.  The  washing  of  the  feet  was, 
especially  when  sandals  were  worn,  the  first  kind  office 
rendered  to  travellers  on  their  reception  (e.g.  in  the  N",  T. 
1  Tim.  V.  19,  vLTTTeiv  tou?  Tro'Sa?),  and  before  they  were 
entertained.  \V^V  means  here  to  rest  thoroughly  by 
leaning  and  propping  oneself.  To  recline  at  table  was 
not  an  ancient  Semitic  custom.  C^n/'^?  sounds  modest ; 
courtesy  makes  little  of  its  own  doings.  Food  and  drink 
were,  according  to  the  ancient  view,  the  strengthening  of 
the  heart,  Judg.  xix.  5,  1  Kings  xiii.  V,  cornp.  Acts  xiv.  17. 
">nx  is  here  an  adv.  as  at  x.  18,  xxiv.  55,  Num.  xxxi.  2  and 
frequently.  Therefore — thinks  Abraham — it  has  so  fallen 
out,  that  I  might  have  the  opportunity  of  showing  kindness 
to  you;  |3"^y  ""S,  as  at  xix.  8,  xxxiii.  10,  xxxviii.  26,  Num. 
X.  31,  xiv.  43,  comp.  J.3~^y  "^^^  Job  xxxiv.  27,  not  everywhere 
tlie  same  as  ''p  \p'^V  or  "iC'N:-}3-^y :  therefore  that  =  because,  but 
so  conceived  as  it  reads :  for  this  purpose.  The  three  men 
then  accept  the  kindly  persuasive  invitation.  ^1'^\  as  at 
xix.  21,  has  not  a  pausal  Kametz.  Abraham's  hospitable  pre- 
parations, vv.  6—8  :  And  Abraham  hastened  into  the  tent  to 
Sarah  and  said :  Feteh  ([uieldy  three  Sedh  of  fine  meal,  knead, 
and  make  cakes.  And  Abraham  ran  to  the  herd  and  took  a 
calf  tender  and  good  and  gave  to  the  servant,  and  he  hasted  to 
dress  it.  And  he  took  lutter  and  milk  and  the  calf  ivhich  he 
had  dressed,  and  'placed  it  before  them,  while  he  stood  by  them 
under  the  tree,  and  they  ate.  The  tone  in  >^\[}^^  (according  to 
Baer's  text)  is  upon  the  ultima,  but  in  xxiv.  67  upon  the 
penultima.^     nijy  (from  Jiy,  to  curve,  to  round)  is  a  usual  dish 

1  But  see  FrensdorfTs  edit,   of  the  Darche  ha-Nikkud  of  Moses  Punctator 
(1S77),  pp.  21  and  xxxiii. 


42  GENESIS  XVIIL  9-12. 

of  hospitality,  which  the  Bedouin  women  prepare  rapidly  and 
even  while  riding  upon  the  camel ;  the  addition  of  three  nsp 
(Aram.  ^5n^?»  Assyr.  sutu),  hence  |  =  1  ephah,  was  super- 
abundant for  three  men,  comp.  Ex.  xvi.  16.  Butter  and 
milk  served,  according  to  Bedouin  custom,  for  the  basting 
of  the  meat ;  the  traditional  explanation  of  Ex.  xxiii.  1 9 
and  elsewhere  rejects  this.  It  was  also  a  requirement  of 
fjood  manners  that  Abraham  should  not  sit  with  his  honoured 
guests,  but  remain  standing  and  awaiting  their  commands.  The 
narrative — says  Lane  {Sitf.cn  unci  Gcbrduclie,  ii.  116) — con- 
tains a  perfect  description  of  the  manner  in  which  a  Bedouin 
Sheikh  of  the  present  day  entertains  a  traveller  arriving  at 
his  tent.  And  General  Daumas  {Die  Pferde  dcr  Sahara,  p. 
195)  says  :  "A  stranger  appears  before  the  Duar,  he  remains 
at  some  distance  and  says,  Dcif  rdbU,  i.e.  a  guest  sent  by  the 
Lord.  The  effect  is  magical,  all  spring  up,  hasten  towards 
him,  and  bring  him  into  the  tent  .  .  .  the  master  of  the  tent 
keeps  him  company  all  day  long  .  .  .  there  is  never  the 
impertinent  question :  Whence  comest  thou,  or  whither  goest 
thou  ? " 

Now  follows,  ver.  9  sqq.,  the  conversation  at  table.  The 
guests  beginning  it,  ver.  9  :  And  they  said  to  him :  Wliere  is 
Sarah  thy  ivife  ?  And  he  said :  There  in  the  tent.  The  fact 
that  V^x  has  VX  super-punctuated  may  point  to  a  various 
reading  i^,  and  is  favourable  to  the  view  that  a  model  copy  is 
the  basis  of  the  Masoretic  text.  The  promise  and  its  impres- 
sion upon  Sarah,  vv.  10-12  :  And  he  said:  Ecturn,  yea  return 
will  I  to  thee  about  the  time  when  it  revives,  and,  lo,  Sarah  thy 
wife  has  a  son  ;  hut  Sarah  heard  it  in  the  door  of  the  tent,  and 
this  ivas  behind  him.  And  Abraham  and  Sarah  were  old,  well 
striclcen  in  age  ;  the  rules,  after  the  manner  of  women,  had  ceased 
ivith  Sarah.  And  Sarah  laughed  ivithin  herself,  saying :  After 
I  am  worn  with  age  shoidd  I  have  2^^casure  now,  when  my  lord 
is  old  ?  The  definition  of  time,  n^'D  ^J^|,  means  at  the  reviving 
time,  or  rather,  since  "^JD  is  without  an  article,  at  the  time 


GENESIS  XVIII.  13-15.  43 

when  it  revives,  Ges.  §  109.  2h ;  comp.  the  synonymous 
expression  irepnrkojjLevov  ivtavrov,  1  Sam.  i.  20.  X^i^l,  10b, 
refers  to  the  door,  according  to  others  (LXX.)  to  Sarah,  which 
is  contrary  to  the  traditional  text.  The  door  was  behind  him 
who  gave  the  promise,  hence  she  heard  without  being  seen  by 
hhn.  2^L,"33  is  the  monthly  purification  (comp.  xxxi.  35, 
LXX.  translates  classically  ra  jvvaLKela),  which  is  the  con- 
dition of  the  power  of  conception.  These  so-called  rules  had 
long  been  discontinued  in  the  case  of  Sarah,  hence  what  had 
been  promised  made  her  laugh.  On  the  Perf.  v'nni'n  (should 
it  yet  be  to  me),  see  on  xxi.  7.  Her  calling  her  husband 
"'P"'X  is  quoted  in  her  praise,  1  Pet.  iii.  6.  Her  laughter 
however  was  that  of  contemptuous  doubt,  the  laughter  of 
Abraham  that  of  delighted  astonishment.  He  needed  to  have 
his  faith  encouraged,  she  to  be  brought  back  to  the  humility 
of  faith,  vv.  13,  14:  And  Jahvch  said  to  Abraham:  Why 
then  did  Sarah  laugh,  thinlcing :  Shoidd  I  also  really  bear, 
when  I  am  old  ?  Is  anything  unattainable  for  Jahveh  ?  At 
the  set  time  I  return  to  thee,  at  the  time  when  it  revives,  and 
Sarah  has  a  son.  With  Cjp5<  fis',  "  in  very  truth "  (reality), 
comp.  D5P^5  ?!«,  "yea  certainly,"  Job  xxxiv.  12,  xix.  4.  ^<.c3^  is 
a  synonym  to  i>'3\  xi.  6.  Instead  of  '^j'^'p,^  like  xxi  v.  50, 
1  Sam.  i.  20,  Hahn  and  Theile  have  here  erroneously 
nirT'p.  Sarah's  vain  evasion,  ver.  1 5  :  And  Sarah  denied,  say- 
ing :  I  laughed  not :  for  she  was  afraid.  But  he  said :  Nay,  thou, 
didst  indeed  laugh.  Matter  of  great  and  eternal  importance 
is  here  related  in  plain  and  childlike  words.  Brought  back 
to  the  humility  of  faith.     Sarah  received  indeed  the  strength 

^  The  writing  ni'lT'O  (  =  ''3'"IX0  with  audible  x)  follows  the  Masoretic  rule, 

D''i30  "^y^  (X'^'IfD)  p'^a^  n*i^'0,  t'-e.  ;&Ioses  led  (Israel)  forth,  and  Caleb  led 
(him)  in,  i.e.  grammatically  :  the  letters  o,  ^,  n  make  the  X  of  ^31X  audible; 
3,  h>  3.  on  the  contrary,  make  it  quiescent,  e.g.  nin^3  (witb  Metheg  of  the 
counter-tone)  and  also  nilT'l  =  ^inxi  •  The  vox  memorialis,  which  includes  also 
the  1,  is  D^yj  13  ^3,  all  in  Him  is  mysterious,  i.e.  grammatically:  the  pre- 
fixes 3,  p,  3,  1  have  after  them  a  latent  (quiescent)  }<• 


44  GENESIS  XVIIl.  15. 

of  the  naturally  impossible,  eVei  Triarov  I'jjija-aTo  tov  iirayeiX- 
Xa/xevov  (Heb.  xi.  11).  The  fulfilment  itself  was  the  repeated 
appearance  of  Jaliveh  after  the  space  of  a  year,  for  the  God  of 
the  promise  was  Himself  present  to  effect  its  fulfilment. 

Dillmann  is  of  opinion,  with  Knobel,  that  the  three  were 
Jahveh  and  two  angels,  and  besides,  regards  the  ''^"^^^,  3a,  as 
erroneous,  because  premature.  But  it  is  just  this  ""J^^?  which 
leads  to  the  true  meaning  of  the  narrator.  It  is  not  the  case 
that  one  of  the  three  angels  is  the  appearance  of  Jahveh,  but 
that  there  are  three  heavenly  messengers,  in  whom  Jahveh 
manifests  Himself,  three  by  reason  of  the  threefold  nature  of 
their  vocation,  which  is  not  to  promise  only,  but  also  to  punish 
and  to  deliver.  Because  however  the  message  of  grace  to 
Abraham  is  a  higher  one  than  the  messages  of  judgment  and 
of  mercy  to  Lot,  the  two  are  subordinate  to  the  one,  and 
Jahveh  is  specially  present  to  Abraham  in  the  one,  whom  he 
recognises  as  above  the  other  two  and  addresses  as  ''/"i^?,  Lord 
of  all  (:^'^p  according  to  the  Masora,  in  distinction  from 
"•Jli?,  my  lords),  because  He  has  made  upon  him  the  impres- 
sion of  a  being  in  whom  God  is,  and  whom  he  is  to  receive 
as  God  Himself.  A  Greek  legend  tells  of  a  similar  event  to 
that  related  in  chs.  xviii.  and  xix, :  Jupiter,  Mercury  and 
Neptune  visit  an  old  man  of  the  name  of  Hyrieus,  in  the 
Boeotian  town  of  Tanagra,  he  prepares  a  meal  for  them,  and 
at  his  request  obtains,  though  hitherto  childless,  a  son,  Orion, 
Ovid,  Fast  v.  494  sqq. ;  Palccph.  ch.  v.  And  then — as  a 
pendant  to  ch.  xix. — Jupiter  and  Mercury  are  travelling  in  the 
form  of  men ;  no  one  will  receive  them  but  Philemon  and 
Baucis,  an  old  and  childless  couple,  wherefore  the  gods  deliver 
them,  taking  them  away  with  them  to  a  mountain,  and  trans- 
forming the  inhospitable  neighbourhood  of  the  hospitable  cot- 
tage into  a  pool,  and  the  cottage  into  a  temple,  Ovid,  Metavi. 
viii.  611-724.  Here  the  three  and  then  the  two  angels 
become  respectively  three  and  then  two  Gods ;  but  Abraham 
recognises  in  the  three  and  especially  in  the  one,  and  Lot  in 


GENESIS  XVIir.  15.  45 

the  two,  the  presence  of  the  one  God.  They  treat  them  never- 
theless as  human  travellers,  for  the  Godhead  in  them  is  con- 
cealed, and  only  manifest  to  the  eye  of  tlie  spirit.  Josephiis, 
Ant.  i.  11.  2,  explains  their  eating  as  mere  appearance:  oc  Be 
Bo^av  avro)  irapea'X^ov  iaOiovTcov.  So  too  Philo  (02)p.  ii.  18)  : 
Tepdariov  ical  to  jjli]  Treivcovra^;  ireivcovrcov  kol  /xj)  ea6L0VTa<; 
iadiovrwv  irapex^iv  (pavraalav,  and  also  the  Targum,  Talmud 
3Iczia  S6h,  Midrash,  Tob.  xii.  19,  Ephr.  Procop.  and  most  of 
the  Fathers.  It  must  however  be  differently  explained, 
whether  we  hold  that  the  human  form  in  which  they  appeared 
was  only  a  symbolization  of  their  invisible  being,  or  that  it 
was,  as  Tertullian,  adv.  Marc.  iii.  9,  asserts  :  non  putaiiva  caro, 
sed  verce  et  solidce  sidtstantim  humancc.  In  the  first  case  they 
ate,  "  as  we  say  of  fire  that  it  consumes  everything  "  (Justin, 
dial  c.  Tr.  c.  34) ;  in  the  other  they  ate,  as  the  risen  Christ 
did,  of  whom  Augustine  says :  Quod  manducavit,  potestatis  fu.it, 
non  egestatis.  Aliter  absorhet  terra  aquam  sitiens,  aliter  solis 
radius  candens :  ilia  indigentid,  iste  potentid.  The  intercourse 
of  Jahveh  with  the  patriarch  was  just  at  this  time  more 
humanely  intimate  than  ever,  because  the  birth  of  Isaac,  the 
great  type  of  the  human  appearance  of  God  in  Christ,  was  the 
subject  of  the  message.  At  the  beginning  of  the  period  of 
the  v6fxo<;,  which  brought  to  consciousness  the  infinite  distance 
between  the  Holy  God  and  the  sinful  creature,  Moses  heard 
from  the  burning  bush  the  call :  "  Draw  not  nigh  hither :  put 
off  thy  shoes  from  thy  feet ! "  Ex.  iii.  5.  The  patriarchal 
period  is  more  evangelical,  as  the  time  before  the  law  it  is  a 
pattern  of  the  time  after  the  law. 

2.  Abrahams  transaction  loith  God  concerning  Sodom  and 
Gomorrah,  xviii.  16  sqq. 

This  second  part  of  the  Jahvistic  portion,  chs.  xviii.-xix., 
forms  a  transition  to  what  follows,  as  the  first  part  was  a 
connection  with  what  preceded.     It  prepares'  for  the  history 


46  GENESIS  XVIII.  16-19. 

of  the  destruction  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah.  Departure  of 
the  three,  ver.  1 6  :  And  the  men  rose  up  from  thence,  and  looked 
toward  Sodom,  and  Ahraham  went  with  them,  to  accompany 
them.  According  to  an  interesting  tradition  (Jer.  Ep.  cviiL 
ad  Eustochium),  he  accompanied  them  as  far  as  the  site  of  the 
subsequent  Caphar-berucha,  whence  the  solitvdinem  ac  terras 
Sodomce  may  be  perceived;  '''^^'^V,  like  xix.  28,  Num.  xxi.  20, 
xxiii.  28.  Eesolution  of  Jahveh,  vv.  17-19:  And  Jahveh 
said :  Shall  I  hide  from  Ahraham  what  I  am  alout  to  do,  since 
Ahraham  shall  surely  hceome  a  great  and  mighty  nation,  and 
all  the  nations  of  the  earth  shall  he  Messed  in  him  ?  For  I  hnevj 
him,  that  he  will  command  his  children  and  his  household 
after  him,  that  they  hecp  the  way  of  Jahveh,  to  do  justice  and 
judgment ;  that  Jahveh  may  hring  upon  Ahraham  what  He  has 
spoken  of  him.  He  knew_liim,^.e.  Jlechose  him  in  preventing 
love  (J;^^  like  Amos  iii.  2,  and  New  Testament  r^ivcaaKeLv). 
The  purpose  of  that  loving  communion  with  Himself  to  which 

He  has  admitted  him  follows  in  ifws;  )y»^  (iya=nnnp,  ^x,<). 
He  is  to  inculcate  upon  the  present,  and  indirectly  upon  the 
future  members  of  his  family,  the  religion  of  Jahveh  ('n  "^yi, 
like  Ps.  xix.  10,  'n  nxn^),  that  they  may  practise  n^m  ni^n^  (so 
here  and  Ps.  xxxiii.  5  ;  Prov.  xxi.  3  ;  comp.  Deut.  xxxiii.  21, 
instead  of  the  more  customary  T\\>'r^'\  LJDK'o),  so  that  JahveK 
may  realize  to  him  what  He  has  promised  in  respect  of  his 
great  vocation  in  the  redemptive  history.  The  LXX.,  as  also 
the  Syr,,  adds  to  airo  A^paa/j,,  tov  TratSo?  fxov  (''iny),  for 
which  Philo  has  tov  <pL\ov  jxov  (comp.  Jas.  ii.  23).  There  is 
scarcely  a  passage  where  this  '''j^V  (xxvi.  24)  or  ""^nN*  (Isa. 
xli.  8,  2  Chron.  xx.  7)  would  be  more  in  place  than  just 
here.  Abraham  is  the  friend  of  God, — an  appellation  which 
has  become  among  Moslems  a  surname  to  his  name,  cdll  Jj^^, 
the  insinuate,  i.e.  the  intimate  of  God,  or  merely  Jj^l^t)> 
whence  also  Hebron  is  called  Bcit-cl-chalil  or  El-chalil,  and 
from  a  friend  we  keep  nothing  secret.     Hence  Jahveh  dis- 


GENESIS  XVIII.  20-22.  47 

closes  to  him  the  judgment  which  He  purposes  to  inflict,  vv. 
20,  21  :  Tlicn  Jahvch  said:  The  cry  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah 
is  lecome  really  great,  and  their  sin  really  very  heavy.  I  will 
however  go  doivn  and  see  if  they  have  altogether  done  according  to 
the  cry  concerning  it,  which  has  come  to  me;  or  if  not,  I  will  in- 
vestigate. The  circumstantializing  perfect  nox  nin"'i  is  followed 
by  the  principal  fact,  viz.  the  communication,  with  mn''  los'*"). 
The  cry  of  Sodom  is  the  cry  for  punishment  which  comes  up 
thence  demanding  it.  The  assuring  ''3  (the  case  is  such  tliat 
then  =  rcvcra)  stands  elsewhere  also  in  the  middle  of  the 
sentence,  xli.  32;  Ps.  cxviii.  10-12,  cxxviii.  2.  "3")  is 
Milcl,  and  therefore  3rd  pr. ;  comp.  on  the  other  hand,  Hos. 
ix.  7.  He  will  go  down  to  see  the  state  of  the  case  (quite 
like  xi.  5),  viz.  into  the  valley  of  the  Jordan  district,  will  in 
the  lonii-sufferinn;  of  His  wrath  see  whether  their  behaviour 
entirely  corresponds  with  the  cry  for  vengeance  which  has 
proceeded  from  it.  The  Atlmach,  ver.  21,  is  rightly  placed,  the 
second  member  of  the  disjunctive  question  being  made  inde- 
pendent by  a  verb  of  its  own.  The  PascJc  between  n?3  |  vc^ 
shows  that  n?3  here  is  to  be  imderstood,  not  as  in  the 
phrase  i^/^  nb'y^  "to  put  an  end  to,"  but  as  at  Ex.  xi.  1,  as  an 
adverb  in  the  meaning  of  omnino.  ^^~\}  is,  according  to  the 
penultimate  tone,  not  a  particip.  but  a  finitum,  hence  n  (^r\) 
has,  as  at  xlvi.  27,  Job  ii.  11  (comp.  Ges.  §  109),  the  value  of 
a  relatively  used  demonstrative  pronoun,  just  as  al  (cdli)  and 
hal  (Judli),  with  the  meaning  "  that  which,"  are  quite  common 
{DMZ.  xxii.   124)  in  the    Bedouin  speech   and  in  the  book 

language  also,  e.g.  dj  |^J_,v!l,  is  qui  acccptus  hahctur,  may  be 

said.  The  departure  for  Sodom,  ver.  22  :  And  the  men  turned 
thence,  and  went  toward  Sodom,  and  Abraham  remained  still 
standing  before  Jahveh.  A  parallel  verse  to  ver.  IG  ;  there 
all  three  are  going  farther,  here  two  (xix.  1).  But  it  is 
Jahveh  who  betakes  Himself  to  Sodom  in  the  two,  while,  on 
the  other  hand.  He  remains  behind,  Abraham  continues  stand- 


48  GENESIS  XVIII.  23-2fi. 

ing  before  the  one  in  whom  Jahveh  specially  manifests  Him- 
self to  him,  and  through  whose  angelic-human  form  he  rightly 
discerns  the  LOED.  According  to  tradition,  22&  is  a  ppn 
D''"iDlD,  corrcctio  scribarum  (see  my  Commentary  on  Hcibakhuk, 
pp.  206-208,  and  Perles'  Biogra'plde  Salomds  h.  Adcretk, 
1863,  jop.  2b— nb),  and  was  originally  Dm^N  ^js!?  noj?  iniy  ninn, 
which  seemed  unworthy  of  God,  ''JD^  loy  being  the  usual 
expression  for  standing  to  serve.  The  originality  however 
of  the  existing  reading  is  defended  by  xix.  27.  The  two 
others  departed,  while  Abraham  still  retained  the  third,  and 
in  him  Jahveh. 

To  Him  he  turns  with  intercession  for  Sodom,  vv.  23-25  : 
And  Ahraham  drciu  near,  and  said :  Wilt  Thou  then  utterly  cut 
off  the  righteous  ivith  the  vjicked  ?  Perhaps  there  are  fifty 
righteous  in  the  city,  vjilt  Thou  really  cut  off  and  not  forgive 
the  place  for  the  fifty  righteous  sake  that  are  therein  ?  Far  he 
it  from  Thee  to  do  thus,  to  kill  the  righteous  ivith  the  wicked,  so 
that  it  shoidd  happen  to  the  righteous  as  to  the  uncked  that  he 
far  from  Thee.  Shoidd  not  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  do  right  ? 
The  particle  5]^,  ver.  23  sq.,  means  etiajn,  not  as  at  iii.  1  in  the 

sense  of  adco,  but  of  revera  (Saad.  Ujvij).    Nirj  with  r*,  like  Xum. 

xix.  19  and  frequently,  means  to  grant  acceptance  and  forbear- 
ance, i.e.  forgiveness.  In  ^'^1'^  P"""!?^?,  3  is  conceived  of  as  a 
noun,  like  the  Latin  instar :  in  such  correlative  repetition  of 
the  objects  to  be  compared,  it  may  either  precede,  as  here, 
comp.  xliv.  18,  Hag.  ii.  3,  or  follow.  '^?  nppn  means,  as  is 
shown  by  the  Targumico-Talmudic  "H^  ^^^^^  P^D,  to  the  unholy 
ad  profanum ;  b'hn  in  this  sense  is  permitted  for  use,  shown 
licitiLs  by  J.;>>i.s>-  ;  "^r^C  however  is  not  a  feminine  with  a 
retraction  of  the  tone,  for  the  penultimate  accentuation  is  not 
found  only  before  the  monosyllabic  ^b,  but  elsewhere  also, 
e.g.  xliv.  7,  before  ^"''3?-^^-  The  question,  25&,  is  like  that  at 
Eom.  iii.  3.  Jahveh  agrees,  ver.  26  :  And  Jahveh  said:  If  I 
find  in  Sodom  fifty  righteous  witldn  the  city,  I  ivill  forgive  the 


GENESIS  XVIII.  27-33.  49 

vjJwle  place  for  their  sake.      Abraham  reduces  the  number  by 
five,  vv.  27,  28:    And  Abraham,  answered  and  said:    Behold 
now,   I  have   taken  upon  me   to    speak  to   the  Lord,  who  am 
hut  dust  and  ashes.     Ferhaps  there  may  lack  five  of  the  fifty 
righteous :  wilt  Thou  destroy  the  whole  city  for  lack  of  five  ?     He 
said  :   I  will  not  destroy  it  if  I  find  there  forty -five.     The  ''p'^ 
interchanging  here  and  vv.  3 1,  32,  as  at  xviii.  3,  with  7V\r\\  belong 
to  the  pxni  nSp,  i-c-  the   134  true  (really  written)  '':nx.     The 
pair  of  words  "is^^j  "iS^  symphonize  like  i*]'^"!  lii^,  "J^.j]  P^,  and 
the  like.      On  the  construction  of  tlie  verb  "ion  with  the  ace. 
of  what  is  lacking,  comp.  Ges.  §  138.  3.     i^^pn?,  28a,  is  equi- 
valent to  ^t'\2n  "i=i3y3,  for  the  sake  of  so  few  less  as  five.     He 
again  reduces  the  number  by  five,  ver.  29  :  And  he  continued  to 
speak  to  Him,  and  said  :  Perhaps  forty  will  he  found  there.     He 
said :  I  vnll  not  do  it  for  the  forty's  sake.     He  grows  bolder, 
and  deducts  ten,  ver.  ^0  -.  He  said :  Let  not  the  Lord  he  angry 
tJmt   I  speo.k:  pcrha^js  thirty  may  he  found   there.     And  He 
said :   I  vnll  not  do  it  if  I  find  thirty  there.     On    f  nnn  he 
grows  hot,  he  falls  into  the  heat  (of  anger),  see  iv.  5.      On  the 
cohortative  iT]?!^!,  see  Ges.  §  128.  2.     From  thirty  down  to 
twenty,  ver.  31:   And   he   said:    Behold  now,  I  have   taken 
upon  me  to  spieak  to   the   Lord:   perhaps  there  shall  he  found 
twenty  there.     He  said :   I  will  not  destroy  it  for  the  twenty's 
sake.     From  twenty  down  to  ten,  ver.  32  :    Ajid  he  said:   Let 
not  the  Lord  he  angry  that  I  speak  yet  hut  this  once:   Perhaps 
ten  will  he  found  there.     And  He  said :  I  will  not  destroy  it  for 
the  ten's  sake.     Immediately  after  this  promise  Jahveh   dis- 
appears, ver.  33  :  And  Jahveh  locnt  away,  ivhen  He  had  finished 
speaking   to    Abraham,    and   Abraham  returned   to  his  place. 
It    is    the   syntactic    scheme  of  the   coincident,  like  vii.   6. 
Jahveh  departed  (not  to  Sodom,  as  Wellhausen,  expunging  \J'^, 
xix.  1,  thinks),  i.e.  He  withdrew  from  the  further  importunity 
of  the  bold  petitioner,  and  the  latter,  perceiving  the  limit  thus 
placed,  returned  to  the  grove  of  Mamre. 

This    intercession    of    Abraham,    which,    with    increasing 
VOL.  IL  D 


50  GENESIS  XVIII.  33. 

boldness  six  times  takes  advantage  of  concession,  is  some- 
what singular.  While  however  it  excites  laughter  in  a 
Voltaire,  and  while  Hausrath  and  Gesenius  find  impressed 
upon  it  the  stamp  of  the  Jewish  "  trading  spirit "  (see 
Geiger's  Jildische  Zeitschr.  x.  p.  15  7),  it  moved  a  Lavater  to 
admiration.  "  As  for  the  whole  dialogue,  —  I  exclaim  as 
publicly  as  I  can, — where  in  all  the  world  is  its  equal  in 
greatness  and  simplicity  to  be  found  ! "  It  is,  to  begin  with, 
highly  significant  that  Abraham  does  not  intercede  specially 
for  his  relatives  in  Sodom ;  that  he  believes  in  the  existence 
of  righteous  persons  among  the  heathen  therein ;  that  his 
intercession  proceeds  from  the  assumption  that  man  as 
such  is  his  neighbour ;  that  it  applies  to  the  cities  of  those 
seven  nationalities  on  which  the  Mosaic  law  inflicts  unspar- 
ing extermination  (Deut.  vii.  2,  xx.  16).  The  subsequent 
different  measurement  of  the  duty  of  Israelites  towards  fellow- 
countrymen  and  foreigners  did  not  as  yet  exist ;  religion 
had  not  yet  assumed  its  temporary  intermediate  and  national 
form.  And  what  depths  of  Divine  condescension,  what  heights 
of  human  faith  do  we  here  meet  with  !  Accompanied,  indeed, 
by  a  boldness  which  New  Testament  piety  does  not  sanction 
with  respect  to  God.  The  intimacy  borders  on  irreverence. 
Even  the  Son  of  man  finds  the  t'Xeco?  aoi  of  Peter  (Matt.  xvi. 
22)  unbearable,  and  how  could  we,  in  presence  of  the  actual 
experience  that  war  and  calamities  carry  off,  as  Job  ix.  22 
says,  both  the  righteous  and  the  wicked,  appeal  to  God's 
justice  for  the  contrary  ?  We  must  lay  our  hand  upon  our 
mouth,  hoping  for  a  solution  in  another  world  of  the  enigmas 
of  this.  Old  Testament  piety  is  still  affected  by  a  residuum 
of  polytheism,  the  gods  of  which  were  more  human  than 
Divine.  The  reduction  too  of  the  numbers  from  fifty  to  ten 
is  more  childish  than  child-like,  but  Jahveh  condescends  to 
this  childish  avaiBeia  (Luke  xi.  8)  of  bargaining  intercession. 
All  answers  to  prayer  depend  upon  such  condescension.  For 
when  God  created  free  beings.  He  at  the  same  time  granted  the 


GENESIS  XIX.  1,  2.  51 

possibility  of  allowing  His  actions  to  be  determined  by  their 
conduct,  and  of  permitting  their  prayer,  i.e.  their  invocation 
of  His  goodness  and  mercy,  to  influence  Him.  The  bold 
familiarity  of  the  intercessor  reduced  to  ten  the  number  of 
the  righteous,  for  whose  sake  Sodom  was  to  be  spared.  But 
ten  were  not  found.  His  intercession  did  not  however  fall  to 
the  ground.  Four  were  found,  Lot,  his  wife  and  his  two 
daughters — these  did  not  suffice  to  be  the  means  of  savinfr 
Sodom,  but  they  were  themselves  not  destroyed  with  the 
wicked,  but  delivered. 

3.  The  destruction  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  hy  fire,  and  the 
deliverance  of  Lot,  xix.  1-29. 

In  accordance  with  Deut.  xxix.  22,  the  prophets  frequently 
refer  to  the  matter  of  this  third  part  of  the  second  portion  by 
holding  up,  as  a  warning  to  the  people  of  God,  the  fate  of 
Sodom  and  the  other  cities  (Amos  iv.  11;  Hos.  xi.  8  ;  Isa.  i. 
9  sq.,  iii.  9  and  elsewhere),  just  as  the  "  days  of  Gibeah " 
(Judg.  xix.)  are  also  remembered  for  a  like  purpose  (Hos. 
ix.  9).  Arrival  of  the  two  Divine  messengers,  ver.  1 :  And 
the  two  angels  came  to  Sodom  at  evening,  as  Lot  was  sitting  in 
the  gate  of  Sodom.  And  Lot,  perceiving  them,  rose  up  to  meet 
them,  and  lowed  himself  down  with  his  face  towards  the  earth. 
The  gate  is  usually  in  the  nearer  East  a  vaulted  entrance, 
with  large  recesses  on  both  sides.  It  was  here,  beneath  or 
near  the  gate,  that  people  assembled  either  for  business 
purposes,  or  to  discuss,  in  larger  or  smaller  circles,  the  affairs 
of  the  town  (xxxiv.  10;  Deut.  xxi.  19).  It  was  here  that 
Lot  was  sitting,  and  when  he  saw  the  angels  coming  he  rose 
up  and  went  to  meet  them,  greeting  them  no  less  reverently 
than  Abraham  had  done,  ver.  2  :  And  he  said :  Behold  now, 
my  lords,  turn  aside,  I  pray,  into  your  servant's  house,  and  stay 
the  night  and  wash  your  feet  and  rise  up  early  and  go  your 
way.      But   they  said :  Nay,  we  will  spend  the  night   in  the 


52  GENESIS  XIX.  S-5. 

street.     Only  here  is  ^3"n3n  written  instead  of  ^J"'"'^'?.     And 
only  here  do  we  incidentally  find  ''y"'^?  with  Pathach,  which 
the   Masora   distinguishes   as  ^n,   kolvov,  from    ""^'i^?    as   ^~}'p. 
Lot's  spiritual  vision  is  weaker  than  Abraham's,  he  greets  the 
men  with  only  the  courteous  "  my  lords  ; "  he  does  not  at  first 
recognise  them  as  angels,  nor  as  the  LORD,  who  was  mani- 
festing Himself  in  them.      He  invites  them  in  the  kindest 
manner,  but    they   refuse,  just    as    Jesus    (Luke    xxiv.    28) 
seemed   at   first   about  to   refuse    the  disciples    at  Emmaus. 
Their    nay    (Ven.    ircofjidXa)    is    n^,    wiitten    with    emphatic 
Dagesh,  as  at  1  Sam.  viii.  19,  1  Kings  xi.  22.     At  last  they 
yield  to  his   solicitation,  ver.  3 :    And  he  urged  them  much, 
and  they  turned  in  unto  him  and  entered  his  house,  and  he 
fre'pared  a  meal  and  hakcd  siveet  cahes,  and  they  ate.     Sweet 
cakes,  riiSD   (from  )*i'D,  to  suck  in  and   out),  are  unleavened 
cakes,  which  would    be  the    sooner  ready.     But  before  the 
guests   retired,  the   sin  of   Sodom   is   manifested,  vv.  4,    5  : 
They  had  not  yet  lain  dovm,  when  the  'peoi^le  of  the  city,  the 
people  of  Sodom,  surrounded  the  house,  from  the  hoy  to  the  old 
man,  the  whole  jpeo'ple  from  the  utmost  end.     And  they  called 
to  Lot  and  said  to  him :    Where  are  the  men  which  came  to 
thee  this    niyht  ?    hring  them  out  to  its,  we  ivill    liiow  them. 
The  construction  of  C)"[.p  is  like  ii.  5,  and,  in  a  like  connection, 
Josh.  ii.   8.     Instead  of  ^nvpyi  •  •  n^'pp,  xlvii.  21,  from  one 
end  to  the  other,  we  have  here  and  Jer.  Ii.  31   i^^'i^p,  from 
the  end,  i.e.  of  the  city  in  its  whole  extent.     Without  respect 
to  hospitality,  they  say  shamelessly  what  they  desire :  onxt^n 
nriD    iib  n'rin^  Isa.    iii.    9.       The   travellers    are    young    and 
beautiful  (Mark  xvi.  5),  the  inhabitants  of  Sodom  desire  to 
"  know  "  them,  Judg.  xix.  2  2  ;  their  unnatural  lust,  according 
to  Eom.  i.  27  a  curse  of  heathenism,  according  to  Jude  7  a 
copy  of  demoniacal  error,  according  to  the  Mosaic  law  (Lev. 
xviii.  22,  XX.  13)  a  "^^yin  to  be  punished  with  death  (named 
by  Ezekiel,  xvi.  49  sq.,  as  the  worst  among  the  sins  of  Sodom), 
wears  no  mask,  no  aesthetic  nimbus,  as  in  Greece.     Lot  now 


GENESIS  XIX.  6-a.  53 

tries  his  utmost  to  save  liis  guests,  vv.  6-8  :  A7id  Lot  locnt 
out  to  them  to  the  entrance  and  shut  the  door  behind  him. 
And  lie  said:  Pray,  brethren,  do  not  so  wiehedly.  Behold,  I 
have  two  daughters  ivho  as  yet  have  known  no  man.  I  ivill 
bring  them  out  to  you,  and  do  ye  to  them  as  seems  good  to  you, 
only  to  these  men  do  nothing,  for  therefore  have  they  come  under 
the  shadow  of  my  roof.  The  formation  "^nnsn  is  like  ^'f^P, 
Judg.  iv.  10,  the  former  from  nna,  the  latter  from  t^'^i?.  ^^^ 
for  n^ixrij  here  8&,  as  at  25a,  xxvi.  3  sq.,  Lev.  xviii.  27, 
Deut.  iv.  42,  vii.  22,  xix.  11,  and  elsewhere  only  at  1  Chron. 
XX.  8,  is  no  archaism;  the  Arabic  uld,  Ethiop.  e^/a,  Aram. 
ilUn,  illeeh,  showing  that  this  demonstrative  originally  ter- 
ininated  with  a  vowel  (perhaps  illai).  |3"?y  ''3  (see  xviii.  5) 
is  said  of  the  purpose  of  their  becoming  guests,  viz.  to  be 
protected.  Lot  acts  like  the  old  man  in  Gibeah  of  Benjamin, 
Judg.  xix.  23  sq. ;  he  is  willing  to  sacrifice  his  duty  as  a 
father  to  the  duty  of  hospitality,  and  commits  the  sin  of 
desiring  to  prevent  one  sin  by  another.  But  this  also  is  of 
no  avail,  ver.  9 :  But  they  said :  Stand  bach !  And  they 
said :  This  one  came  to  sojourn,  and  is  plaijing  the  judge : 
now  will  ive  deal  luorse  with  thee  than  loith  them !  And 
they  pressed  upon  the  man,  upon  Lot,  and  came  near  to  break 
the  door.  The  exclamation  nxbn  C'a  has  the  meaning  of  move 
away !  '^^r\}  (comp.  the  verb,  Micah  iv.  7)  has  the  tone  upon 
the  penult. ;  it  is  the  locative  of  ^C  which  directs  to  a  distance. 
They  threaten  Lot,  the  one  man,  who  is  enjoying  among  them 
the  rights  of  hospitality,  and  yet  .  .  .  {imperf.  consee.  of  the 
contrasting  context,  the  paradoxical  result,  like  xxxii.  31  ; 
Prov.  XXX.  25-27;  Job  ii.  3).  The  iiif.  intens.  to  123^=1 
emphasizes  this  troublesome  censorious  behaviour  as  incessant 
(Ges.  §  131.  3&).  To  take,  with  Hupfeld,  the  n  of  "inxn 
interrogatively,  like  Num.  xvi.  22,  Neh.  vi.  11,  comp.  Judg. 
xii.  5,  and  also  Cinxn^  Deut.  xx.  19,  is  not  advisable,  the 
determinative  of  nnx  (this  one)  being  indispensable.  The 
nny  is  conclusive:   they   will  consequently  deal  worse  with 


54  GENESIS  XIX.  10-14. 

him  than  with  his  proUg6s.  The  permutative  combination 
LJi73  K'''S2  is  like  Tj?n  linn  *  •  DIIDD,  xviii.  26.  They  prepare 
to  break  the  door,  when  Lot's  guests  become  his  protectors, 
vv.  10,  11  :  And  the  iiun  stretched  out  their  hand  and  tooh 
Lot  in  unto  them,  into  the  house,  and  shut  to  the  door.  And 
the  men  who  were  at  the  entrance  of  the  house,  they  struch  with 
blindness,  from  the  least  unto  the  greatest,  and  they  wearied 
themselves  to  find  the  entrance.  Instead  of  the  more  usual 
jiiJV?,  Zech.  xii.  4,  Deut.  xxviii.  28,  we  here  have  ^''Tlf??, 
from  113 p,  to  make  blind,  a  Shaphel — the  original  causative 

form — with  "iji.?  =jy,  to  blind.      Summons  to  Lot  to  escape 

with  his  family,  vv.  12,  13  :  And  the  men  said  to  Lot :  Whom 
hast  thou  here  ?  Son-in-lavj,  and  thy  sons  and  daughters, 
and  all  that  belongs  to  thee  in  the  city,  bring  them  out  of 
the  place :  for  loe  are  about  to  destroy  this  place,  because 
the  cry  concerning  them  is  become  great  before  the  face  of 
Jahveh,  and  JahvcJi  has  sent  us  to  destroy  it.  The  suffix 
of  DnpV.->  (to  be  understood  like  xviii.  20  sq.,  Clamat  ad 
ccelum  vox  sanguinis  ct  Sodomorum)  refers  to  the  inhabit- 
ants, and  the  suffix  of  i^nnc'p  to  the  city.  inn  is  pur- 
posely an  indefinite  collective  singular.  Lot  finds  no 
audience  with  his  sons-in-law,  ver.  14:  And  Lot  loent  out, 
and  spake  to  his  sons-in-law,  ivlio  had  taken  his  daughters, 
and  said:  Get  you  up,  go  out  of  this  place,  for  Jahveh 
is  about  to  destroy  the  city,  —  but  he  ivas  as  one  wlio 
mocked  in  the  eyes  of  his  sons  -  in  -  kau.  The  LXX.  and 
Targ.  Jer.  I.  have  correctly :  Tou<i  elXrj(pora<i  Ta<i  6vyaT€pa<i 
avrov,  not :  qui  acccpturi  crant  filias  ejus  (Jerome),  for  iu 
ver.  15  the  two  daughters,  still  at  home,  are  distinguished 
from  those  who  were  married ;  and  the  two  saved  with  Lot 
have  not,  ver.  30  sq.,  to  lament  the  loss  of  bridegrooms. 
Those  offered  to  the  Sodomites  were  still  his  virgin  and,  as 
may  be  also  inferred  from  ver.  8,  his  unbetrothed  daughters. 
In  li^V  ^^ip  the  V  has  the  emphatic  Dagesh  to  ensure  its  clear 


GENESIS.  XIX.  16,  17.  55 

pronimciation  between  two  u  sounds  (corap.  Ex.  xii.  3 1  ; 
Deut.  ii.  24).  This  carelessness,  when  destruction  was  close 
at  hand,  is  referred  to  Luke  xvii.  28.  Even  Lot  does  not 
follow  his  preservers  with  the  gratitude  of  a  joyful  faith, 
vv.  16,  17:  And  as  soon  as  the  dawn  began,  the  angels 
urged  Lot  to  hasten,  saying :  Arise,  take  thy  wife,  and 
thy  two  daughters,  which  are  here,  that  thou  he  not  consumed 
in  the  iniquity  of  the  city.  But  he  lingered;  then  the  men 
seized  his  hand  and  the  hand  of  his  wife  and  of  his  two 
daughters,  hy  reason  of  the  forbearance  of  Jahvch  ruling  over 
him,  and  led  him  out,  and  let  go  of  him  outside  the  city. 
While  the  biblical  3  is  always  merely  a  preposition,  i^s  serves 
here  like  "i^'???  as  a  conjunction,  which  its  analogous  forma- 
tion from  3  and  "lO^riD  permits,  comp.  Isa.  xxvi.  18;  Ps. 
Iviii.  8.  The  daughters  still  in  the  parental  house  are  called 
nixvpan  iu  distinction  from  those  already  married,  as  is  ex- 
plained Bereschith  rcibla  c.  50,  and  in  Ephrem.  The  angels 
urge  Lot  to  hasten,  but  he  delays :  he  is  no  Abraham,  and  it 
is  not  gladly,  but  with  inward  reluctance,  that  he  leaves  the 
beautiful  city  and  his  home  in  it.  The  angels  are  obliged  to 
bring  him  and  his  family  out  by  force,  and  this  takes  place 
rbv  'n  n^onii.  Olshausen  would  prefer  rhmii,  but  in  the 
Psalms  also  l"lDn3,  xxv.  7,  and  I^Dna,  xxxi:  17,  are  inter- 
changed. They  do  not  let  go  of  him  (D"*?!!,  different  in  use 
from  C^jn)  till  he  is  outside  the  city.  Here  Jahveh,  speaking 
by  the  angels,  invites  him  to  save  himself  by  hastening 
straight  onward,  ver.  1 7  :  And  it  came  to  pass  luhcn  they  (the 
angels)  had  led  them  (Lot  and  his  family)  forth,  He  (Jahveh) 
said :  Escajpe  for  thy  life,  looh  not  behind  thee,  stay  not  in  all 
the  plain ;  escape  to  the  mountain,  that  thou  be  not  consumed. 
Jahveh  is  in  the  two  angels,  as  in  the  three :  they  are  all 
three  messengers,  i.e.  organs  of  God  present  in  them  (as  the 
apostles  were  messengers  and  organs  of  Christ  present  in 
them).  Without  looking  backwards  (o-arrPN  instead  of  tlie 
more  regular  l33ri"7X),  he  is  to  seek  to  place  himself  in  safety 


56  GENESIS  XIX.  18-22. 

by  reaching  the  (subsequently  Moabite)  mountains.  But 
here  too  he  shows  how  weak  and  defective  is  his  faith  and 
obedience,  vv.  18-20:  And  Lot  said:  0  Lord,  not  so. 
Behold  now,  Tliy  servant  hath  found  grace  in  Thy  sight,  and 
Thoib  hast  magnified  Thy  favour,  lohich  Thou  hast  showed  to  me 
to  preserve  my  soid  alive  ;  and  L  eannot  escape  to  the  mountain, 
misfortune  might  overtake  me,  and  I  die.  Behold  noiv,  this  city 
is  near  to  flee  thither,  and  it  is  indeed  hut  small :  let  me  escape 
thither — it  is  indeed  so  small — that  my  soul  may  live.  The 
deprecative  ?>?  strengthened  by  ^^3  (Ruth  i.  13)  is  followed 
by  tNvo  sentences,  each  commencing  with  i^p^.^n,  and  appar- 
ently marking  two  premisses,  the  first  of  which,  ver.  19,  gives, 
as  a  reason  for  the  request,  the  mercy  of  God  and  the  impo- 
tence of  the  suppliant,  the  second,  20a,  the  sniallness  of  the 
thing  requested,  and  then  by  fc?3~nupr3X  the  conclusion.  Lot 
now  knows  that  it  is  Jahveh  Himself  who  has  snatched  him 
as  a  brand  from  the  burning ;  he  no  longer  says  '•^"'X,  but 
''3'is* ;  yet  even  with  this  nearness  of  God  to  him  and  care  of 
God  for  him,  he  does  not  attain  to  entire  obedience :  the 
mountain  is  too  far  for  him ;  he  fears  lest  the  approaching 
catastrophe  should  catch  him  ("'Ji^li'iri,  with  uniting  vowel  a, 
like  xxix.  32;  Ges.  §  60,  note  2);  he  would  rather  flee  to 
the  small  town  which  is  near,  and  whose  insignificance  might 
excite  compassion.  Jahveh  agrees,  vv.  21,  22  :  And  He  said 
to  him :  See,  L  favour  thee  in  this  also,  not  to  destroy  the  city  of 
which  thou  hast  spoken.  Hasten  to  escape  thither,  for  I  can  do 
noticing  till  thou  art  come  thither — therefore  the  name  of  the 
city  was  called  So'ar.  The  phrase  '•jD  ^5b'3  means  to  let  the 
presence,  appearance,  or  person  of  any  one  make  an  impres- 
sion and  find  access.  The  b  of  i^"=J?  is  that  of  reference, 
"•sen  has  3,  according  to  the  Masora,  like  isjja,  Ex.  xii.  27. 
*inp  is  an  adverbial  infinitive,  like  Ps.  Ixix.  18.  The  city  was 
that  regarded  by  Lot  as  "iVVP,  a  trifle,  a  small  matter,  and 
hence  called  "^t^  (smallness),  at  the  south-eastern  entrance  of 
the  then   valley   of  Siddim.     The   crusaders    found   it    still 


GENESIS  XIX.  23-25.  57 

existing  under  the  name  of  Segor  {J.^  or  jh.y  LXX.  X'r\'^u>p), 

pleasantly  situated  among  palm-trees,  girato  lacu  a  'parte, 
aiLstrali,  hence,  after  going  round  the  southern  end  of  the 
Dead  Sea  on  its  eastern  side,  where  it  lay,  not  as  Irby- 
Mangles  and  Eobinson  suppose,  upon  the  peninsula  jutting 
far  into  the  southern  half  of  the  sea  from  the  east,  but,  as 
Wetzstein  has  pointed  out,  on  the  south-eastern  end,  in  that 
part  of  the  Arabah  which  is  now  called  'Gor  es  Sdficli.  The 
catastrophe,  vv.  23-25  :  Tlie  sun  was  risen  upon  the  earth,  and 
Lot  was  come  to  Soar.  Then  Jahveh  rained  doiim  upon  Sodom 
and  Gomorrah  brimstone  and  fire  from  Jahveh  from  heaven. 
And  He  overthrew  those  cities  and  all  the  plain,  and  all  the 
inhabitants  of  the  cities  and  that  wliich  grew  on  the  ground. 
By  sunrise  Lot  had  already  arrived  at  Zoar.  n"ivV  has  in 
Eaer  an  accented  local  ah,  but  Heidenheim  accentuates  this 
word  like  '^/il^*'^  according  to  Moses  Punctator  as  3Iild. 
The  causative  'T'ti^n  has  for  its  object  rain  proper,  ii.  5  ;  hail, 
Ex.  ix.  18,  manna,  Ex.  xvi.  4,  here  C'Xi  n"'";£|  (for  which  we 
have  iT'iSil  £;'^^,  Ps.  xi.  6;  Ezek.  xxxviii.  22).  ^an,  in  the 
sense  of  evertere,  refers  not  only  to  cities  but  to  men  (as  at 
Prov.  xii.  7  ;  Isa.  i.  V)  and  plants.  Brimstone  and  fire  came 
through  the  intervention  of  God  present  in  His  angels  from 
(nsp,  like  Micah  v.  6)  Him  who  is  enthroned  in  heaven. 
The  statement  distinguishes  still  more  decidedly  than  Hos. 
i.  7,  Zech.  X.  12,  2  Tim.  i.  18,  the  supermundane  and  the 
historically  manifested  God.  But  we  should  be  more  correct 
to  say  that  the  mundane  presence  of  God  in  the  angels  was 
a  prefiguration  of  tlie  ij)avepo}6r]  iv  aapKL,  than  to  agree  with 
Justin,  Eusebius,  and  the  Council  of  Sirmium,  which  decreed, 
after  these  authorities:  Fhiit  Dei  filius  a  Deo  patre.  Xot  only 
Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  but  Admah  and  Zeboiim,  the  two  other 
cities  of  the  Pentapolis  (xiv.  2),  as  we  are  told,  Deut.  xxix.  23 
(the  fundamental  passage  for  Hos.  xi.  8),  or,  as  it  is  here  said, 
the  whole  plain,  Zoar  alone  excepted,  perished  by  fire  and 


58  GENESIS  XIX.  26-28. 

brimstone  —  a  catastrophe  to  which  Strabo,  Tacitus,  and 
Solinus  Polyliistor  also  testify,  and  which,  in  the  subsequent 
literature  down  to  the  Apocalypse,  is  often  both  alluded  to 
and  directly  mentioned  {e.g.  Ps.  xi.  6).  Pate  of  Lot's  wife, 
ver.  26  :  And  his  wife  looked  hack  from  hehind  him,  and  became 
a  pillar  of  salt.  She  was  following  him  and,  whether  from 
affection,  compassion,  or  curiosity,  looking  about  behind  her, 
and  became,  in  consequence  of  this  disregard  of  the  Divine 
command,  a  prey  to  the  catastrophe.  She  was  covered  with 
a  saline  incrustation  and  changed,  as  it  were,  into  a  statue  of 
salt.  In  the  time  of  the  author  of  the  Book  of  Wisdom 
this  crW]\r}  aXo9,  Wisd.  x.  7  (comp.  Clement,  ad  Cor.  c.  xi.), 
was  still  pointed  out.  Josephus  (Ant.  i.  11.  4)  declares 
that  he  had  seen  it :  laroprjKa  avr^v,  en  >yap  Kal  vvv 
Siufievei.  A  poem  among  the  works  of  Tertullian  (ed.  Oehler, 
ii.  773)  relates  of  it,  that  when  it  is  mutilated  it  completes 
itself  again,  which  Irenseus  (iv.  31.  3,  33.  9)  explains  typi- 
cally. These  are  legends  which  have  their  very  obvious  rise 
in  the  partly  cylindrical,  partly  pyramidal  cones  of  salt  still 
found,  in  consequence  of  the  winter  rains,  on  the  salt-mine 
track,  Hagar  Usdum,  which  extends  not  far  from  the  eastern 
shore  of  the  Dead  Sea,  two  leagues  and  a  half  towards  its 
southern  extremity  (see  Tuch,  Quwstio  de  Flav.  Josephi  loco 
B.  J.,  iv.  8.  2,  1860).  What  is  related  in  ver.  26  however 
is  regarded  as  history  in  the  New  Testament  also  (Luke 
xvii.  32,  comp.  ix.  62).  The  disappearance  of  Eurydice  when 
Orpheus,  contrary  to  the  command  of  Proserpine,  looks  round 
at  her  when  brought  from  Hades  before  arriving  at  their 
native  land,  as  related  in  the  Greek  legend,  is  somewhat 
similar.  AVhat  Abraham  had  to  behold  next  morning,  vv. 
27,  28  :  And  Ahraham  got  iip  early  in  the  morning  to  the  place 
where,  he,  had  stood  in  the  presence  of  Jahveh,  and  looked  toward 
the  face  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  and  toward  the  wliole  face  of 
the  country  of  the  plain,  and  'beheld,  and,  la,  the  vapour  of  the 
land  went  up  as  the  vapour  of  the  furnace.     Instead  of  Y^'V, 


GENESIS  XIX.  29.  59 

smoke   (Ex.   xix.    18),   we   have   here    the   less    usual    litD'p 

(Arab.  J^),   steam   or  vapour  (Ps.  cxix.   83) ;   comp.   Wis'l. 

X.  7,  KaTTvi^o/xevrj  ■^epao^,  and  Brocardus  :  mare  mortuum  est 
sewpcr  fumans  et  tcncbrosum  sicut  os  viferni,  ut  oculis  meis  vidi, 
oh  tetrum  vaporem  inde  fumantcm.  So  far  the  account  of  J, 
to  which  is  now  joined  the  sketch  of  Q,  ver.  29  :  And  it  came 
to  2MSS,  when  Ulohim  destroyed  the  cities  of  the  plain,  then 
Mohim  remembered  Abraham  and  led  Lot  out  of  the  overthrotv, 
when  He  overthrew  the  cities  in  which  Lot  had  chvelt.  Thus  Lot 
was  delivered  for  the  sake  of  Abraham,  and  indeed  for  the 
sake  of  his  intercession.  "  In  which  "  is  the  same  as  in  one 
of  which,  like  Judg.  xii.  7.  Instead  of  "^psn,  occurring  hero 
only,  'i33nip  is  the  Deuteronomico-prophetic  word. 

The  Dead  Sea,  as  it  appears  at  present,  has  no  kind  of 
odour  ;  its  water  is  clear  as  crystal,  and  has  in  fair  weather  the 
blue  colour  of  heaven  like  other  seas.  Flights  of  birds  are 
frequently  seen  passing  over  its  waters.  It  nevertheless  gives 
an  impression  of  awe.  Neither  fish  nor  other  living  creatures 
are  hidden  in  its  bosom,  those  who  enter  it  with  the  current 
from  the  Jordan  dying  immediately,  and  its  lonely  shores  are 
entirely  devoid  of  vegetation.  The  atmosphere  over  its  waters 
is  purest  at  night,  but  never  quite  pure.  If  it  is  agitated  by 
a  storm,  the  spray  that  is  driven  about  covers  everything  with 
an  incrustation  of  salt.  Liquid  bitumen  is  not  found,  but  the 
Moses  and  Asphalt  stone  so  frequent  on  the  coast  lead  to  the 
conclusion,  that  a  great  bed  of  asj)halt  forms  the  bottom  of  the 
sea.  After  the  earthquake  of  1837,  which  destroyed  Tiberias, 
a  mass  of  asphalt  the  size  of  a  house  appeared  upon  the  sur- 
face, it  was  driven  on  to  firm  ground  on  the  western  side 
not  far  from  Usdum,  and  furnished  the  Arabs  with  150  ctr. 
of  asphalt.^  The  length  of  this  unique  waste  of  waters 
amounts  to  40,  and  its  average  breadth  to   8  miles ;    at  its 

1  See  Zinckcn,   Fossile  Kohlen  vnd  KohIenu-a.iserstqfe,  1884,   pp.  327-331 
{Bituminose  Schichten  und  Emanationen  Pcddstina's). 


60  GENESIS  XIX.  29. 

southern  extremity  its  whole  breadth  is  fordable.  According 
to  Symond's  measurement  it  lies  1231  feet,  while  the  Sea  of 
Tiberias  is  only  308  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  Mediter- 
lanean.  As  Moore  found  the  bottom  to  be  in  some  places 
1700  feet  deep,  it  reaches  to  almost  3000  feet  beneath  the 
surface  of  the  Mediterranean.  The  Lake  of  Achen  in  Tyrol, 
and  especially  Lake  Baikal  in  Asiatic  Russia,  are  far  deeper, 
but  their  situation  is  incomparably  less  deep,  that  of  the 
Dead  Sea  being  one  of  the  deepest  depressions  on  the  surface 
of  the  globe.  The  view  advocated  by  great  authorities  (Ritter, 
V.  Schubert,  Daubeny,  J.  B.  Both),  that  the  Jordan,  the  Dead 
Sea  and  the  Gulf  of  Akaba  origiually  formed  one  connected 
waterway,  has  been  proved  untenable  by  more  recent  investi- 
gations (Russegger,  Robinson,  Thornton,  Fraas).  The  land 
between  the  Arabian  Gulf  and  the  Dead  Sea  rises  to  a  height 
of  2100  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  it  can  be  geologi- 
cally proved  that  the  Wadi  Arabah  has  undergone  no  elevation 
since  the  existence  of  the  present  basins.  Lartet,  who  accom- 
panied the  Duke  de  Luynes,  arrived  at  the  result  that  the 
Dead  Sea  had  at  all  times  been  a  basin  for  the  deposits 
which  fell  on  its  declivities,  and  that  its  surface  was  at  the 
end  of  the  Tertiary  period  100  metres  higher  than  at  present; 
but  that  volcanic  catastrophes  subsequently  took  place  at  the 
east  and  north-east  in  the  form  of  effusions  of  basalt,  and  that 
hot  mineral  springs,  bituminous  eruptions  and  earthquakes 
were,  in  historic  times,  the  last  forces  which  shaped  the  basin 
of  the  Dead  Sea.  Fallmerayer  too  (1853)  is  of  opinion 
that  the  southern  part  of  the  Dead  Sea,  between  the  great 
peninsula  jutting  in  on  its  eastern  side  and  the  hill  of  lava, 
ashes  and  salt,  'Gcbel  Usdum,  was  originally  the  dry  land  of 
the  plain  of  Siddim,  and  was  covered  with  water  in  con- 
sequence of  a  catastrophe.  He  thinks  that  the  Dead  Sea 
has  advanced,  and  has  volcanically  overwhelmed  tracts  of 
land,  which  formerly  lay  beyond  its  reach,  and  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  sunlight.     That  where  to-day  are  the  bare  peninsula 


GENESIS  XIX.  29.  CI 

and  the  Dardanelle  current,  there  was  once  the  termination 
and  southern  boundary  of  the  Dead  Sea.  And  that  the 
formerly  flourishing  and  abundantly  watered  Vale  of  Siddini, 
the  Lectonia  (ii.  14,  283  sq.)  of  Canaan,  of  which  only  the  great 
Delta  in  Southern  'Gor  remains  besides  its  extremely  irregular 
borders  on  the  east  and  west,  extended  from  this  natural 
enclosure  to  the  wall  of  hills  across  the  Wadi  Arabah.  With 
this  agrees  also  the  result  arrived  at  by  Capt.  Lynch,  who 
undertook  in  1848  an  expedition  to  the  Dead  Sea  in  two 
boats,  one  of  iron,  the  other  of  copper,  which  were  brought 
thither  over  land.  It  was  ascertained  that  the  bed  of  the 
sea  forms  two  sunken  plains,  one  from  1000  to  1200,  the 
other  on  an  average  only  13  feet  below  the  surface.  This 
shallower  southern  part,  as  may  now  be  considered  almost 
settled,  would  thus  have  to  be  regarded  as  the  submerged 
Vale  of  Siddim.  Fritz  Noetling  however  judges  otherwise  in 
the  three  articles  on  the  Dead  Sea  which  he  has  published  in 
the  Berliner  TagcUatt,  Aug.  188G.  He  denies  that  there  is 
any  kind  of  connection  between  a  catastrophe  in  the  time  of 
Abraham  and  this  body  of  water  which  has  always  existed  in 
the  deepest  part  of  the  Ghor,  regards  the  Wadi  Zerka  as  the 
only  conceivable  place  of  the  site  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah, 
and  is  convinced  that  the  volcanic  action  in  the  region  of  the 
Dead  Sea  w^as  still  operative  when  the  district  had  already 
almost  exactly  its  present  relief;  for  "the  most  recent  streams 
of  lava  have  flowed  down  from  the  plateau  into  the  valleys, 
which  were  already  hollowed  out  to  their  present  depth." 
It  is  however  evident  from  the  circumstance  that  the  stream  of 
lava  that  has  descended  from  the  Attarus  mountain  chain  appears 
to  be  sawn  through  the  midst  by  the  never  resting  water  of  the 
Wadi  in  such  wise  that  its  two  portions  adhere  to  both  sides 
of  the  slopes  of  the  valley  in  the  form  of  terraces,  that  this 
last  outburst  of  volcanic  force  in  Palestine  took  place  in  the 
Alluvial  period  thousands  of  years  previously.  The  narrator 
certainly  does   not  tell   us   in  ch.  xix.  that   the   cities  were 


62  GENESIS  XIX.  30-32. 

submerged   in  the  sea   which  arose  in  consequence   of    the 
fiery  judgment,  only  xiv.  3  seems  to  proceed  from  this  view. 

4.   The  incestuous  generation  of  Moab  and  Ben-Ammi, 
xix.  30-38. 

The  second  portion  of  the  third  section  of  Abraham's  life 
closes  with  xix.  30-38.  What  is  here  related  is  closely 
linked  with  xix.  1—28,  and  there  is  no  valid  ground  against 
our  admitting  that  it  is  still  J  who  here  continues  the 
narrative.  The  distinction  of  age  by  '^"l.''^2  and  'T7''VV  occurs 
also  with  him  at  xxix.  26,  and  VT]).  T\\>n  at  vii.  3.  It  is  he  also 
who  relates  how  the  hero  of  the  Flood  committed  himself 
ix.  2  0  sqq.,  after  having  stood  such  a  test  of  his  faith ;  and  if 
the  histories  of  Abraham,  Gideon,  David  and  other  models  of 
faith  terminate  with  a  fall  from  their  ideal  height,  this  is 
the  less  amazing  in  the  case  of  Lot. 

He  moved  from  Zoar,  and  dwelt  in  a  cave  in  the  mountain, 
vv.  30-32  :  And  Lot  v^ent  up  out  of  Soar,  and  dwelt  in  the 
mountain,  and  his  two  daughters  icith  him.  And  the  first-horn 
said  to  the  younger :  Our  father  is  old,  and  there  is  no  onan  in 
the  land  to  come  in  unto  us  according  to  the  manner  of  all  the 
world.  Up,  ive  will  give  our  father  wine  to  drink,  and  we  loill 
lie  with  him  and  will  propagate  the  race  from  our  father. 
When  invited  to  escape  to  the  (Moabite)  mountain.  Lot  had 
requested  permission  to  flee  to  Zoar ;  but  it  was  just  there 
that  he  now  felt  himself  insecure  and  departed  thence  to 
the  mountain,  whither  he  had  formerly  desired  not  to  go. 
There  was  this  former  nomad  compelled  by  poverty  and  fear 
to  become  a  dweller  in  a  cave  ("TJ^'??  with  the  article  of  the 
species,  unless  it  has  the  meaning  of  the  definite  cave  known 
as  the  birthplace  of  the  two  nations).  The  two  daughters  of 
Lot,  called  by  Mas'udi,  Zewi  and  'Arva,  are  those  who  were 
still  unmarried  at  the  catastrophe.  In  the  absence  of  all 
prospect  of  marriage,  the  younger  is  persuaded  by  the  elder  to 


GENESIS  XIX.  33-36.  03 

the  desperate  resolve  of  lying  with  their  father  after  they  have 
made  him  drunk;  )*"^xn~73  'i\'r}  is  here  the  usual  human  manner 
of  sexual  intercourse,  as  the  husband  in  the  Jewish  marriage 
articles  promises  :  ^^V>^"^?  "'!^'^?  I'""^^  ^^'^  ^^^^-  Not  as  if  they 
supposed  that  the  Divine  judgment  had  extirpated  all  men  (so 
e.ff.  Irenrcus,  iv.  31.  2) ;  but  that  they  felt  themselves  so  branded 
as  the  remnants  of  an  accursed  city,  that  they  feared  that  their 
family  must  die  out  with  themselves  who  were  without  husbands 
and  their  aged  father.  It  was  not  lust,  but  the  wish  to  keep 
their  race  from  perishing,  that  impelled  them.  The  means  was 
however  worthy  of  Sodom,  and  Lot  became  the  blind  instrument 
of  an  infamy  punishable  by  the  subsequent  law  with  death  by 
fire.  He  is,  as  F.  G.  v.  Moser  designates  him,  a  memorable 
example  of  an  impure  man,  or,  to  speak  more  correctly  (comp. 
2  Pet.  ii.  7),  of  a  very  frail  righteous  man.  The  proposal 
carried  out,  vv.  33-36:  And  they  gave  their  father  wine  to 
drinic  that  same  night,  and  the  first-horn  came  and  lay  with  her 
father,  arid  he  knew  neither  her  lying  down  nor  her  rising 
up.  And  it  came  to  ixtss  the  day  after,  that  the  first-horn 
said  to  the  younger :  Behold,  I  lay  last  night  with  my  father, 
we  will  give  Mm  ivine  to  drink  this  night  also,  and  come 
thou,  lie  with  him,  and  we  will  lyroixigate  the  race  hy  our 
father.  And  they  gave  their  father  wine  to  drink  that  night 
also,  and  the  younger  arose  and  lay  with  him,  and  he 
knew  neither  of  her  lying  down  nor  of  her  rising  ii'p.  And  the 
two  daughters  of  Lot  were  with  child  hy  their  father.  On  two 
successive  nights  Lot  became  the  blind  instrument  of  a  desire 
which  obtained  its  satisfaction  in  a  sinful  manner.  t<l'"i  ^^^7?, 
ver.  33,  for  i<^"in  TO'b'2^  ver.  35,  is  in  itself  the  more  possible 
(xxxviii.  21  ;  Ps.  xii.  8),  and  here,  as  at  xxx.  16,  xxxii.  23, 
1  Sam.  xix.  10,  the  preferable  expression  by  reason  of  the 
hiatus,  rnnrsp^  thus  pointed,  may  be  contracted  from  nnnxso, 
like  the  Aramrean  Ni^n'pi* ;  but  *in^  comes  from  nriD,  to  be 
in  front,  commonly  used  in  the  Assyrian  and  meaning  the 
approaching   day,   which  forms,  as  it  were,  the  front  of  the 


64  GENESIS  XIX.  37,  38. 

present  line   of  time.     On   tJ'DX,   the  previous  evening,  the 
evening  (the  night,  the   day  before),  from  nj:'o,  to  graze,  to 
touch  (said  of  the  sun  sinking  on  the  horizon),  here,  ver.  34, 
used   as   an  accus.  of  time :  to  pass  the  night,  i.e.  the  past 
night,  see  Fleischer  on  -Tob  xxx.  ?>.     With  the  writing,  ^rp^'^i!!, 
comp.  Ges.  §  47,  note  3.     V^l  has  3  of  the  object,  like   Ps. 
xxxi.  8;   Job  xii.  9,  xxxv.  15.     Tlie  formation  '"^^str  is  like 
Dl^n  Amos  ii.  6,  with  nnao,  Ex.  xxi.  8 ;  Ewald,  §  225d     The 
wine  and  evil  lust  combine  to  plunge  Lot,  not  indeed  into 
absolutely  passive  unconsciousness,  but  into  animal  insensi- 
bility, in  which  he   surrendered   himself  without  moral  con- 
sideration to  mere  blind  instinct.      The  point  over  the  second 
1  of  nmpai  is  said,  according  to  the  opinion  of  the  Midrash,  to 
indicate  j;t«  nroipm  yn*  vh  naD'j'ac'  {Nazir  23a),  which  Jerome 
also  relates,  but  it  certainly  has  only  critical  and  not  actual 
significance.      Birth  of  the  children,  vv.  37,  38  :  And  the  first- 
horn  hare  a  son,  and  called  his  name  Moah,  he  is  the  father  of 
Moab  to  this  dxiy.     And  the  younger  she  too  hare  a  son,  and  called 
his  name  Ben-  Ammi,  he  is  the  father  of  the  Bene-Ammon  to 
this  day.     In  consequence  of  their  crafty  incest  they  became 
the   ancestresses  of  two  nations,  of  the  Moabites,  who  took 
possession  of  the  dwellings  of  the  Emim,  and  of  the  Ammon- 
ites, who  took  possession  of  the  dwellings  of  the  Zamzum- 
mim,  Deut.   ii.    9-21.      The  LXX.  adds  to   the  naming  of 
Moab  :  Xejovcra  'Ek   rov   irarpo'i  fiov.       That   Moab   means 
begotten  by  my  father  is  clear,  and  according  to  i^"'?^'^,  vv. 
32,  34,  and  li}''?^'?,  ver.  36,  it  seems  to  be  equivalent  to  3xp. 
But  it  is  also  possible  that  it  may  be  equivalent  to  ^^  "*?,  aqua 
2Mtris  (io=''iD,  from  nio,  dijluere,  fiuidum  esse,  like  ''ia,  from  ni3), 
for  semen  patris  (comp.  Num.  xxiv.   7,  Prov.  v.  16,  also  Isa. 
xlviii.  1,  according  to  the  extant  text,  though  there  ^y^fp  may 
be  intended  for  ''tap),  to  which  ''03,  Kcri  i03,  Isa.  xxv.  1 0,  seems 
to  allude.     The  name  ""PJ?"!?  means,  according  to  the  narrative, 
the  son  of  parents  of  the  same  stock ;  litsv,  the  belonging  to  a 
nation  (ahs.  then  concr.),  is  related   to   ^V  as  po^^'  is  to  D^n*. 


GENESIS  XX.  65 

The  peo|)le  is  called  P^'J  "".^s,  for  which  poy  is  first  used  at  a 
later  period  of  the  language  (Ps.  Ixxxiii.  8,  comp.  1  Sam.  xi. 
11,  Heb.  with  LXX.). 

Lot  is  not  again  mentioned,  nor  even  his  death.  His  history- 
terminates  the  collateral  line  of  Haran,  and  at  the  same  time 
relates  the  origin  of  two  nations  interwoven  in  the  history  of 
Israel.  De  Wette,  Tuch,  Ewald,  Ivnobel,  Bohmer,  and  Dill- 
maun  see  in  this  narrative  the  invention  of  Israelite  national 
hatred.  But  how  should  this  be  the  root  of  the  legend,  when 
their  descent  from  Lot  is  reckoned  an  honour  to  the  Moabites 
and  Ammonites,  Deut.  ii.  9,  19,  and  Israel  is  directed  to 
leave  unmolested  the  land  awarded  to  them  as  t^i'p  '•33,  and 
consequently  congeners  ?  It  was  not  till  they  had  behaved  in 
an  unbrotherly  manner  to  Israel,  that  they  were  excluded  from 
the  congregation  of  the  Lord, — on  no  other  grounds  but  just 
this  unbrotherly  conduct,  Deut.  xxiii.  4  sq.  And  if  lewdness 
(Num.  XXV.)  and  want  of  natural  feeling  (e.g.  2  Kings  iii.  26  sq.) 
subsequently  appear  to  be  fundamental  in  the  character 
and  cultus  of  both  nations,  we  are  at  least  equally  justified  in 
assuming  that  these  their  hereditary  sins  are  derived  from  their 
origin,  as  that  the  legend  fashioned  their  origin  accordingly. 

sakah's  pkeservation  at  the  coukt  of  abimelech,  CH.  XX. 

The  long  Jahvistic  section  in  four  parts  is  now  followed  by 
an  Elohistic  one,  relating  how  the  honour  of  Sarah,  which  had 
been  endangered  by  her  being  taken  into  the  harem  of  Abime- 
lech, was  preserved.  This  narrative  is  a  pendant  to  the 
Elohistic  narrative,  xii.  10  sqq.,  where  it  is  the  harem  of 
Pharaoh  into  which  Sarah  is  carried  off.  "Whether  the  two 
histories  are  two  forms  of  the  same  legend  or  not,  the  narra- 
tors are  at  all  events  different.  If  Q  is  however  regarded  as 
the  narrator  of  ch.  xx.,  it  is  but  a  shallow  inference  to  esteem 
him  as  such  from  the  use  of  the  Divine  name  D\-i^x.      Ilgen 

(Urkunden    dcs    Jcrusakmer    Tempelarchivs,    1798)     already 
VOL.  II.  •  E 


66  GENESIS  XX.  1. 

distinguished  two  Elohists,  and  the  same  perception  dawned 
quite  independently  upon  Hupfeld  (Quellen,  1853),  especially 
with  regard  to  ch.  xx.  Apart  from  D^n^x  (n),  which  is  besides 
exchanged,  ver,  4,  for  ''p^.,  there  is  nothing  which  absolutely 
leads  to  Q,  the  tone  of  the  language  being  more  closely  related 
to  that  of  J  {e.g.  y^rh  pxn,  xx.  15,  xiii.  9  ;  "Jp^n  D2C'^i,  xx.  8, 
xix.  27  ;  ■>?"=)'^J',  XX.  11,  xii.  17;  cy  ion  ni;'y,  xx.  13,  xix.  19  ; 
pi,  XX.  11,  xix.  8),  but  also  characteristically  differing  from 
it  {e.g.  "^^ipN,  XX.  12,  com  p.  CJrpx,  xviii.  13  ;  D'^n^x  with  a  plural 
of  the  predicate,  xx.  13,  like  xxxv.  7,  the  ninox  peculiar  to 
him,  XX.  7,  with  the  usual  rihsc',  xx.  14).  It  is  also  here  only 
that  Abraham  is  called  s^"??,  xx.  7  (comp.  Ps.  cv.  15),  and  the 
mediatorial  position  implied  in  this  notion  appears  here  in  an 
instructive  and  ancient  light ;  the  direction  of  Abimelech  to 
the  intercession  of  the  patriarch  recalls  Job  xlii.  8.  It  was 
in  E  that  B  found  this  narrative,  which  he  here  inserts  retro- 
spectively and  not  in  its  original  place,  as  e.g.  the  Synoptists 
bring  in  the  purification  of  the  Temple,  which  took  place  in 
the  first  Jerusalem  Passover,  in  the  third. 

Abraham's  departure  to  the  south,  ver.  1  ;  And  Ahraliam 
departed  thence  to  the  land  of  the  south,  and  dwelt  hetiveen 
Kades  and  Sur.  He  leaves  IMamre  and  its  curse-stricken 
neighbourhood  and  journeys  3i.3n  n^nx ;  so  here  instead  of 
napan,  xii.  9,  xiii.  1,  with  He  loeale  to  the  connecting  form, 
like  xxiv.  67,  xxviii.  2,  xliii.  17,  xlvi.  1  ;  Ew.  §  2165.  The 
southern  part  of  Canaan,  the  subsequent  territory  of  the  tribes 
of  Judah,  Benjamin  and  Simeon,  is  divided  by  the  features  of 
the  country  into  four  distinctly  separate  parts.  The  moun- 
tainous (■'v'C')  or  high  land,  on  whose  western  slope  lies  a  hilly 
district  which  gradually  sinks  into  a  plain  {>\^^'y),  forms  the 
centre ;  while  towards  the  east  the  wilderness  O^ip)  iuclines 
towards  the  Jordan  valley  and  the  Dead  Sea,  to  the  south  the 
South-land  (2i3,  Josh.  xv.  21)  forms  in  several  plainly  marked 
terraces  a  spur  of  the  mountains  towards  the  Petrsean  peninsula. 
It  was  here  that  Abraham  sojourned  in  the  district  between 


GENESIS  XX.  2-5.  C7 

Kadesli  and  Sliur  (where  was,  according  to  xvi.  V,  14,  the 
well  of  Hagar),  wandering  occasionally  from  these  his  head- 
quarters to  Gerar  south  of  Gaza  (see  on  xxvi.  17).  Here  in 
the  south-west  of  Canaan  already  dwelt  the  Philistines ;  for 
though  the  narrator  both  here  and  xxi.  22-34  calls  Abimelech 
only  king  of  Gerar,  and  not,  as  the  narrator  in  ch.  xxvi.,  king  of 
the  Philistines,  yet  this  is  not  to  be  regarded  as  his  abstinence 
from  a  non-historical  anticipation  (Bertheau,  Kn.)  ;  it  was  an 
actual  tradition  that  the  Philistines  had  settled  on  this  coast 
long  before  Israel  became  a  nation  (Hitzig,  Philist.  p.  146). 
Unlike  as  the  Philistines  of  the  patriarchal  age  are  to  those 
of  the  times  of  the  Judges,  Ewald  refers  to  the  unmistake- 
able  similarity  of  the  proper  names,  especially  ^^P'r??,  accord- 
ing to  P.  Haupt,  not  =  Ahimalki  but  Ahimilki,  father  of  the 
council,  and  masculine  proper  names  in  aih,  as  WX  and  r\yi. 
Abraham  fares  in  this  pre-!Mosaic  I'hilistine  kingdom  as 
according  to  ch.  xii.  he  had  done  in  Egypt,  ver.  2  :  And 
Abraham  said  of  SaraJi  his  ivife :  She  is  my  sister,  and 
Abimelech  king  of  Gerar  sent  and  took  Sarah.  He  did  not 
say  it  to  her,  but  to  others  of  her,  ^'X  like  ?,  135,  Obad.  ver.  1, 
comp.  Ps.  ii.  7,  xli.  6.  In  the  position  which  is  given  to  the 
history  by  Ii,  we  should  have  to  admit  that  Abimelech  was  not 
concerned  for  sensual  enjoyment,  but  that  he  desired  to  ally  him- 
self as  brother-in-law  to  Abraham  the  wealthy  nomad  prince. 
But  this  time  also  Elohim  interposes  in  her  behalf,  vv.  3-5  : 
And  Elohim  came  to  Abimelech  in  a  dream  of  the  night,  and 
said  unto  him:  Behold,  tlwu  must  die  because  of  the  woman 
ichom  thou  hast  taken,  since  she  is  the  -wife  of  a  husband.  And 
Abimelech  had  not  come  near  her,  and  he  said:  Lord  God,  wilt 
Thou  destroy  also  a  rightcoiis  nation  ?  Did  he  not  say  unto  me : 
She  is  my  sister  ?  and  did  not  she  herself  also  say :  Re  is  my 
brother?  In  the  integrity  of  my  heart  and  the  cleanness  of  my 
hands  have  I  done  this..  We  may  hesitate  as  to  whether 
HTjin  here  and  xxxL  24,  1  Kin^s  iii.  5,  is  meant  for  an  ace.  of 
time  or  a  dependent  gen. ;  the  accentuation  assumes  the  latter. 


68  GENESIS  XX.  6,  7. 

and  indeed  correctly  (Targ.  i*v''pl  so'?n3).  A  dream,  as  the 
experience  of  one  who  is  asleep,  is  the  lowest  grade  of  revela- 
tion, hence  Elohim  comes  to  Abimelech  and  Laban  in  a  dream 
of  the  night ;  but  Jacob  also,  xxviii.  12,  xxxi.  11,  and  Joseph, 
xxxvii.  5,  receive  Divine  disclosures  Dl^nn  (different  from  the 
vision  of  the  night,  xlvi,  2).  It  is  E  who  delights  in  relating 
these  Divine  revelations  by  night.  A  married  woman  is 
called  pyii  ripy2,  as  at  Deut.  xxii.  22,  in  post  -  biblical  ter- 
minology tr''X  nti'N.  Death  is  placed  before  the  king  as 
certainly  at  hand  by  en  tc  moriturum.  He  was  then  (accord- 
ing to  vv.  7,  17)  sick  like  Hezekiah,  Isa.  xxxviii.  1,  and  even 
on  that  account  he  had  not  come  near  her  (Isa.  viii.  3).  ^J"'*^ 
here,  as  at  xix.  18,  is  one  of  ^'s  points  of  contact  with  J. 
The  original  text  was  perhaps  p'''^.^  ^^i!,  at  all  events  "'ij,  if  it  here 
meant  an  individual  heathen  (Targ.  Jer.  ]''Ot:y  "i3),  would  have 
to  be  regarded,  as  by  Geiger,  Ursclir.  365,  as  a  later  insertion; 
••ij  however  is  like  Dy  (comp.  on  xvii.  14),  an  elastic  notion, 
Abimelech  is  generalizing,  which  as  king  he  had  a  right  to  do. 
The  question  is  similar  to  xviii.  23,  but  there  it  is  ^^5,  adco, 
here  ^"^.j  o^ca,  Ew.  §  354a;  a  nation  which  is  nevertheless 
righteous.  In  Nin-Drx\n'i,  N\n  and  the  double-gendered  xin 
stand  incorrectly  together.  ""Dab'Qria,  in  the  innocence  of 
my  heart,  is  the  usual  expression,  not  ^3?  Dnn.  "  Cleanness 
of  hands,"  as  in  the  phrase  "  to  wash  the  hands  in  ivpj," 
Ps.  xxvi.  6,  Ixxiii.  13.  Abimelech's  exculpation  admitted, 
vv.  6,  7  :  And  God  said  to  him  in  a  dream :  I  also  know  that 
tliou  hast  done  this  in  the  integrity  of  thine  heart,  and  I  also 
withheld  thee  from  guilt  toivards  me  ;  therefore  have  I  not  suffered 
thee  to  touch  her.  And  noiv  give  tack  the  man's  wife,  for  he  is 
a  2y'>^ophet  and  will  pray  for  thee,  and  thou  shalt  live ;  hut  if 
thou  do  not  give  her  hack,  knoio  that  thou  shcdt  die,  thou,  and  all 
thine.  On  the  form  itDHD,  see  Ges.  §  75,  note  21c;  and  with 
the  construction  with  (,  comp.  e.g.  Ps.  li.  6.  pi  with  an  accus. 
and  ?  means  either  authorization,  or  as  here  and  xxxi.  7, 
making  possible,  permitting.     God  commands  the  king  under  a 


GENESIS  XX.  8-13.  G9 

fresh  threat  at  once  to  restore  Abraham's  wife,  for  he  is  a  X'?3, 
Such  is  the  term  applied  to  one  who  makes  known,  proclaims, 
speaks,  viz.  of  God  and  Divine  mysteries,  xviii.  17-19,  and  not 
the  authorized,  the  inspired,  the  God-counselled,  or  any  other 
kind  of  passive  meaning,  but  like  TpC',  ^"'IJ,  ''\^,  the  intensive 
of  the  2^0-^'i-  (fci-,  ^^s  shown  in  Fleischer's  excursus  to  the  former 
edition  of  this  commentary.  The  Assyrian,  which  presents  for 
nahil  the  general  meaning  to  call,  to  name,  to  reckon,  does 
not  alter  it.  From  the  fact  that  Abraham  as  k"'33  is  an  accept- 
able petitioner,  an  interceding  mediator,  we  see  that  according 
to  the  scriptural  view  the  official  characteristic  of  the  prophet 
presupposes  the  general  one  of  "piety  and  personal  association 
with  God  (Wisd.  vii.  27;  2  Pet.  i.  21  comp.  iii.  2).^  The 
imper.  iTn*!  is  not  equivalent  to  i^l^^],  it  declares,  like  Prov. 
iv.  4  and  elsewhere,  as  well  the  means  as  the  end  intended. 
The  God-fearing  heathen  monarch  accepted  the  reproof  of 
God,  but  not  without  taking  Abraham  to  task,  vv.  8-10: 
And  Abimelcch  rose  iip  early  in  the  morning  and  called  cdl  his 
servants  and  told  them  all  these  things  atidihli/ ;  and  the  men 
were  much,  afraid.  And  Ahimcleeh  called  Abraham  and  said 
to  him :  What  hast  thou  done  unto  us  ?  and  ivherein  have  I 
hecn  guiltij  against  thee,  that  thou  hast  brought  on  me  and  on  my 
hlngdom  a  great  guilt  ?  Deeds  which  ought  not' to  be  done,  hast 
thou  done  to  one.  And  Abimelcch  said  to  Abraham :  What 
scnvest  thou,  that  thou  hast  done  this  thing  ?  To  speak  ^;T^?^  of 
another  means  not  confidential,  but  (comp.  e.g.  xxiii.  10)  audible 
and  unreserved  communication.  With  96  (what  ought  not 
to  be  done)  comp.  xxxiv.  7,  and  with  ^''^5■^  na,  Ps.  xxxvii.  37. 
God's  prophet  thus  put  to  shame  seeks  to  excuse  himself, 
vv.  11-13:  A7id  Abraham  said:  Because  I  thoiight.  Surely 
there  is  no  fear  of  God  in  this  place,  and  they  will  hill  me  for  my 
ivife's  saJce.     And  she  is  besides  really  my  sister,  the  daughter  of 

1  Kuenen  {Einl.  §  13,  nete  20)  thinks  that  the  designation  of  Abraham  as 
N''33  points  to  the  century  in  which  the  prophets  undertook  the  sjiiritual  guid- 
ance of  the  people  and  were  honoured  as  the  confidants  of  the  Deity,  au  in- 
ference on  the  ground  of  self-made  history  and  devoid  of  internal  necessity. 


70  GENESIS  XX.  14-16. 

my  father,  hut  not  the  daughter  ofm.y  mother,  and  she  'became  my 
wife.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Elohim  led  me  forth  from  my 
fathers  house,  that  I  said  to  her :  This  is  thy  favour  which  thou 
onayst  show  me  ;  wherever  we  come,  say  of  me  :  He  is  my  hrother. 
■•3,  11a,  gives  the  reason  for  the  understood  sentence:  I  did 
it,  comp.  xxvii.  20,  xxxi.  31,  Ex.  i.  19,  like  the  understood 
"thou  shalt"  at  Ex,  iii.  12.  PI  is  restrictive,  then,  because 
M'hat  is  simply  thus  and  not  otherwise  is  certainly  the  case, 
affirmative  (as  also  at  Num.  xx.  19  ;  Ps.  xxxii.  6).  By  the  state- 
ment of  Abraham  that  Sarah  is  his  half-sister  (ofioirdTpio^), 
what  preceded  at  xi.  29,  xii.  13,  is  incontestably  completed. 
What  he  says  too  as  to  the  time  of  his  agreement  with  Sarah 
is  easily  reconcilable  with  xii.  11.  Nor  is  it  strange  that  he 
should  speak  of  his  wanderings  according  to  outward  appear- 
ance, reserving  to  himself  their  motive  and  purpose.  Hence 
too  D'TiPX  \"is  iiynn  may  be  an  accommodation  to  heathen  modes 
of  thought  and  speech,  but  Israelite  piety  does  not  elsewhere 
shun  to  speak  of  the  one  God  in  the  plural,  e.g.  xxxv.  7  ; 
2  Sam.  vii.  23;  Josh.  xxiv.  19;  Ps.  Iviii.  12;  1  Sam. 
xvii.  26.  Dipsn-ba-bx  stands  for  mpan-^n,  attracted  by 
what  follows  (comp.  with  respect  to  the  art.,  Ex.  xx.  24). 
Abimelech's  obedience  and  generosity,  vv.  14,  15:  And 
Ahimelcch  took  sheep  and  oxen  and  men-servants  and  maid- 
servants and  gave  them  to  Ahrahajii,  and  restored  to  him  Sarah 
his  wife.  And  Ahimelech  said :  Behold,  my  land  is  open  to 
thee  ;  dwell  where  it  seems  good  to  thee.  He  also  compensates 
Sarah,  ver.  1 6  :  And  to  Sarah  he  said :  Behold,  I  give  a 
thousand  shekels  of  silver  to  thy  hrother :  hehold,  let  this  he  to 
thee  a  covering  of  the  eyes  for  all  those  with  thee,  and  in  the 
2)resence  of  all,  then  art  thou  righted.  The  thousand  silver 
shekels  (Ges.  §  120,  note  2)  are  not  the  money's  worth 
of  the  presents  given  for  appeasing  Abraham,  ver.  14,  but  a 
special  present,  the  purpose  of  which  referred  personally 
to  Sarah,  delivered  to  Abraham  himself.  It  is  clear 
what  is  meant  by  ^)TV.  '^''°?  :  a  covering  of  the  eyes,  which 


GENESIS  XX.  16.  7l 

renders  one  blind  to  what  has  hajipened  (comp.  Job  ix.  24), 
and  makes  it  as  tliougb  it  had  not  happened  (comp.  xxxii.  21). 
The  only  question  is  whether  it  was  Sarah  or  those  around 
her  whose  eyes  the  present  was  to  cover.  Dillni.  explains 
it  with  Hofmann  {Schrifihciocis,  2nd  edit,  i,  233):  let  it  be 
to  thee  a  covering  of  the  eyes  for  all  wdio  constitute  thy 
surrounding,  that  they  may  no  more  sec  dishonour  in  thee. 
Then  'H^,  as  dat.  commocli,  would  precede  the  dative  of 
destination,  /bp,  which  is  improbable,  and  D^J""!?  niDD  has 
indeed  the  meaning  of  a  propitiatory  present,  and  as  sucli 
befits  Sarah,  on  which  account  h'^h  cannot  be  equivalent  to 
^^h ;  hence  1^  is,  on  the  contrary,  the  dative  of  destination, 
and  b'^h  the  dative  of  relation :  with  relation  to  all  or  for 
all  who  are  with  thee.  AVe  translate  further :  and  in  the 
presence  of  all — then  {\  cqwcl.,  like  xxii.  4,  then  he  lifted  up) 
art  thou  proved  (Passive  to  n''?i!^.  Job  xiii.  15,  xix.  5),  i.e. 
to  be  one  to  whom  a  propitiation  is  due.  According  to  the 
most  obvious  view,  rin3i:j"!  Is  equivalent  to  J^in^iJl ;  the  Dagesh 
lenc  is  however  lacking,  as  indeed  it  would  be  also  at  xxx.  15, 
if  nnph  were  there  equivalent  to  ^^?_^\.  The  punctuators 
however  always  place  Dagesh  lenc  in  such  formations,  e.g.  ^V^^ 
for  ^V^'f,  1  Kings  i,  11  and  frequently,  and  distinguish  the 
second  pers.  T^^'^).,  xvi,  11,  from  the  third  pers.  nxni^i^  by  the 
added  Sbeva  (nccording  to  which  Olsh.  §  35&,  must  be 
corrected).  They  therefore  took  ^naiJl  as  a  participle,  but 
scarcely  like  Gesenius  {Thes.  p.  700,  592):  and  she  was  con- 
victed (of  her  fault),  since  not  shame,  but  the  preservation 
of  her  honour  is  awarded  to  Sarah ;  but  nnsiJl  stands  ellipti- 
cally  for  nx  nnaiJi  (comp.  xxiv.  30  ;  Hab.  ii.  10  ;  Ps.  vii.  10, 
xxii.  29,  Iv.  20;  Isa.  xxix.  8,  xl.  19),  unless  we  prefer  with 
Dillmann  to  point  it  ^^'^p\  (comp.  Konig,  Lchrgch.  i.  423). 
By  a  truly  royal  extra  present,  Abimelech  makes  amends  for 
the  wrong  done  to  Sarah,  inasmuch  as  he  thereby  manifests 
a  respectful  acknowledgment  of  the  marital  relation  against 
which    he    had    unconsciously    almost    offended.       Abraham 


72  GENESIS  XX.  17,  18. 

accepts  the  money,  because  it  was  meant  in  all  seriousness 
as  an  atonement.  His  prayer  is  heard,  ver.  17  :  Aiid 
Ahraham  prayed  to  God,  and  Eloliim  healed  Abimelech  and 
his  ivife  and  his  maid-servants,  and  they  tare  children.  We 
have  here  J^i'"!^"  instead  of  i^nS'J',  the  notion  of  service 
adhering  more  to  "^nstr  than  to  nox,  1  Sam.  xxv.  41 — the 
n  in  this  plural  formation,  for  which  the  Arab,  is  amavdt,  is  a 
compensation  for  an  original  1.  The  Arabic  diminutive  umajja 
(little  maid)  gave  a  name  to  the  dynasty  of  the  Umajjades. 
We  here  first  learn  that  Abimelech  and  the  women  of  his 
house  were  visited  with  sickness,  according  to  which  np^l 
seems  to  include  Abimelech,  and  hence  to  be  meant,  as  at 
Hos.  ix.  16,  of  the  power  of  procreation  as  well  as  of  birth. 
Yer.  18  too  may  be  understood  of  a  hindrance  to  both 
conception  and  bringing  forth.  Yer.  1 8  :  For  Jahvch  had 
fast  closed  every  womh  of  the  house  of  A  himelech  for  the  sake 
of  Sarah,  the  wife  of  Ahraham.  The  additional  clause  rightly 
originates  from  the  fact,  that  the  sickness  and  recovery  of  the 
women  took  place  in  the  short  period  of  time  between  the 
carrying  off  and  the  release  of  Sarah.  Those  who  were  preg- 
nant had  to  lament  the  absence  of  travail  pains,  or  their  lack 
of  result;  the  Dmn  (lya)  ~\)iV  comprises  both,  when  as  here 
it  means  incapacity  of  giving  birth,  Isa.  Ixvi.  9,  and  not  as 
at  xvi.  2,  comp.  xxix.  31,  xxx.  22,  incapacity  of  conception. 
It  is  here  construed  with  ^^3,  as  in  a  like  sense  with  -i3d, 
1  Sam.  i.  6.  i?'^"^y  is  found  in  both  U,  ver.  11,  and  J,  xii. 
17,  xliii.  18.  Yer.  18  might  in  itself  %vell  be  a  free 
exegetical  addition;  but  the  diction  gives  it,  like  xxii.  15-18, 
the  appearance  of  conformity  to  the  source. 


BIRTH  OF  ISAAC  AND  EXPULSION  OF  ISHMAEL,  CH.  XXI.  1-21. 

This  fourth  portion  of  the  third  section  of  Abraham's  life 
is  divided  into  two  parts,  the  first  of  which,  xxi.  1-5,  relates 
the  birth  of  Isaac,  the  second,  xxi.  9-21,  the  expulsion  of 


GENESIS  XXI.  1-3.  73 

Islmiael  from  the  parental  house.  Apart  from  the  paren- 
thesis, ver.  1,  the  first  part,  xxi.  1-5,  is  essentially  from  Q: 
it  falls  back  upon  ch.  xvii.,  and  forms  one  whole  witli  it. 
The  second  part,  xxi.  6-21,  is,  on  the  other  hand,  from  U, 
in  ver.  6,  the  counterpart  to  xviii.  12,  and  from  /,  in 
vv.'  9-21,  the  counterpart  to  ch.  xvi.  The  diction  of  this 
older  Elohist  nearly  approaches  the  Jahvistico-Deuteronomic. 
Thus  the  likewise  Jahvistic  formula  "ii?33  D^t^'^1  is  here 
repeated,  ver.  14,  as  at  xx.  8;  and  n'liX'i'y,  vv.  11,  25,  is 
not  less  Jahvistic,  xxvi.  32.  The  noun  n»x,  w.  10,  12,  13, 
is  moreover  so  very  Deuteronomic,  that  ^^~^  occurs  with  it 
only  once,  xxviii,  68,  in  Deuteronomy. 

The  occurrence  in  Gerar,  according  to  the  order  here 
preserved,  took  place  in  the  year  which  had  been  fixed, 
xviii.  10,  14,  to  elapse  until  the  birth  of  Isaac.  Yer.  1 
points  back  to  this  promise  given  in  ]\Iamre :  And  Jahvch 
visited  Sarah  as  He  had  said,  and  Jahvch  did  unto  Sarah 
as  He  had  spohen.  The  structure  of  the  verse  is  like  ii.  5«, 
and  its  contents  are,  as  it  were,  the  obverse  of  xx.  18.  We 
have  to  give  up  the  perception  of  the  origin  of  these  two 
verses ;  enough  that  they  form  a  transition  from  an  extract 
from  E  to  one  from  Q,  for  in  ver.  2  follows  the  text  of  Q : 
And  Sarah  conceived,  and  hare  Abraham  a  son  in  his  old 
age,  at  the  ap^pointcd  time  which  Elohim  had  said.  Following 
ch.  xvii.  19,  21,  the  reference  back  to  xvii.  21  strikes  one 
immediately.  According  to  xxv.  7,  Abraham  attained  the 
age  of  175,  hence  at  Isaac's  birth  he  had  still  a  long  life 
before  him,  and  yet  he  was  in  C'ppT  (only  found  besides  here, 
xxxvii.  3,  xliv.  20),  and  was,  looking  backwards,  well  stricken 
in  years.  He  gives  to  his  new-born  son  the  name  prescribed, 
xvii.  14,  ver.  3  :  And  Abraham  ccdled  the  name  of  his  son 
who  ivas  horn  to  him,  whom  Sarah  hare  him,  Isaac.  It  is 
impossible  that  '^r'isn,  thus  written  with  Pathach,  should  be 
a  participle,  it  is  3  pers.,  the  article  standing  for  itfJ^,  as  at 
xviii.  21,  xlvi.  27.     The  circumcision  of  Isaac  as  prescribed, 


74  GENESIS  XXI.  4-7. 

xvii.  1 2,  ver.  4 :  And  Ahraham  circumcised  Ms  son  Isaac 
when  he  was  eight  days  old,  as  Ulohim  commanded  him. 
Abraham's  age  at  the  time,  ver.  5  :  And  Abraham  was  one 
hundred  years  old  when  his  son  Isaac  ivas  horn.  This  refers 
back  to  xvii.  17.  The  construction  of  the  Passive  with  ris 
(here  and  ver.  8,  comp.  on  iv.  18)  is,  in  the  Pentateuch,  no 
indication  of  a  source.  The  extract  from  ^  now  begins 
with  an  historical  statement  of  the  motive  for  the  name  of 
Isaac,  ver.  6:  And  Sarah  said:  Elohim  has  prepared 
laughter  for  me;  every  one  wlio  hears  it  will  laugh  at  me. 
The  Pentateuch  always  has  prri,  and  never  pnb',  for  to  laugh. 
As  at  xvii.  17  (comp.  Ps.  exxvi.  2),  it  is  the  laughter  of 
joyful  surprise  that  is  intended,  but  here  not  unmingled 
with  some  feeling  of  shame.  In  ''r'"PD>*\  as  in  ^^pnn^  Jer. 
xxii.  15,  the  union  of  the  syllables  is  loosened,  Ges.  §  10, 
note  2.  Sarah  is  in  a  state  of  solemn  maternal  rapture, 
hence  her  words  have  a  poetic  elevation  and  arrangement. 
As  ver.  6  is  a  distich,  ver.  7  is  a  tristich :  She  said  also : 
Jllio  ivould  have  said  to  Ahraham:  Sarah  shall  give  children 
such  !  For  I  have  home  him  a  son  in  his  old  age.  Tuch 
translates :  Who  will  announce  to  Abraham  :  Sarah  is  giving 
children  suck !  and  takes  the  words  as  a  call  to  take  the 
joyful  news  to  the  father.  But  then  instead  of  ^^^  we 
should  expect  I"'?!!,  and  instead  of  ^P^y[}  rather  riprn^  and 
instead  of  Ci''3n  the  more  definite  i?.  In  Num.  xxiii.  10, 
Lam.  iii.  37,  also  ''P,  with  a  perfect  following,  means:  who 
has  done,  i.e.  ever  ventured  or  been  able  to  do.  So  here  : 
Who  has  ever  said  to  Abraham,  for  which  we  should  say : 
Who  would  have  said  (and  yet  it  is  so) ;  comp.  on  this  use 
of  the  perfect  in  questions,  xviii.  12,  Num.  xxiii.  10,  Judg. 
ix.  9  sq.,  2  Kings  xx.  9  (where  "^Pi^  means  ivcritne),  Ps. 
xi.  3,  Job  xii.  9,  Zech.  iv.  10  {quis  contemserit).  Only  with 
this  meaning  is  the  general  plur.  C^S  (comp.  i.ns,  xix.  29,  as 
also  Isa.  xxxvii.  3,  1  Sam.  xvii.  43)  in  place.  The  expres- 
sion is  brief,  well  turned  and  choice  (pJ!P,  a  poetic  Aramaism, 


GENESIS  XXL  8,  9.  To 

occurs  in  the  Pentateucli  only  here).  Festival  at  weaning, 
ver.  8  :  And  the  child  grev),  and  was  weaned:  and  Ahrahani 
prepared  a  great  feast  on  the  day  of  Isaac's  weaning.  This 
took  place  in  his  second  or  third  year,  a  child  being,  in  the 
East,  often  nourished  by  its  mother  or  wet-nurse  till  its  third 
year  (1  Sam.  i.  23  sqq. ;  2  Mace.  vii.  27).  To  be  weaned  is 
called  b»3n,  from  ^^i,  related  to  "i^3,  JL^ ;  from  the  funda- 
mental meaning  "  to  fill,  to  complete,"  may  be  explained 
all  the  meanings :  to  perform  =  to  do  actually,  to  develop 
fully  =  to  ripen,  Mjjh.  to  be  suckled  to  the  end  =  to  be 
weaned.  The  announcement,  the  birth,  the  weaning  of  the 
child — all  furnish  matter  for  varied  and  joyful  laughter ; 
pnv';  means  one  who  laughs,  who  has  abundant  joy.  Our 
Lord  (John  viii.  56)  expresses  the  deepest  cause  of  this  joy. 
Sarah  the  wife  of  the  one,  by  becoming  the  mother  of  Isaac, 
became  the  mother  of  Israel,  Isa.  li.  1  sq.,  comp.  Mai.  ii.  15, 
Ezek.  xxxiii.  24,  and  by  becoming  the  mother  of  Israel,  the 
ancestress,  and  thus  indirectly  the  mother  of  the  Messiah, 
who  has  flesh  and  blood  from  Isaac  through  Israel,  and  in 
whom  Abraham  became  a  blessing  to  all  nations.  Hence 
at  Verdun  the  birth  and  circumcision  of  Isaac  and  the  birth 
and  circumcision  of  Christ  are  correctly  placed  together  on 
the  altar ;  while  above  is  the  announcement  of  Isaac  on  the 
same  line  as  the  salutation  of  the  angel.  The  ancient  synagogal 
Haggadah,  that  Isaac  was  born  on  the  night  of  the  Passover, 
that  night  of  redemption,  also  fits  in  to  this  historical  chain. 
St.  Paul,  Gal.  iv.,  equally  regards  what  is  further  related, 
xxi.  9-21,  as  typical  and  allegorical  history.  Ishmael  behaves 
insolently  to  his  brother,  ver.  9  :  And  Sarah  saw  the  son  of 
Hagar  the  Egyptian,  icliom  she  lore  to  Abraham,  mocking. 
The  masoretically  testified  reading  is  PjlVP,  with  a  small 
Pathach,  i.e.  Segol  in  pause,  comp.  pn>7,  Ex.  xxxii.  6  ;  ^nn";, 
Deut.  xxxii.  11,  and  the  pausal  transition  of  "^V  into  "i^.  The 
word  does  not  here  mean  innocent  joking,  but  insolent  rude- 
ness (comp.  xxxix.  14  ;  Ezek.  xxiii.  32,  synon.  Jl??,  r?>y).    The 


lb  GENESIS  XXI.  10-13. 

contemptuous  attested  in  word  and  deed,  wliich  Isaac  suffered 
from  Ishmael,  is  regarded  by  the  apostle  as  a  prophecy 
of  the  persecution  which  the  believing  Church  of  Christ 
suffers  from  the  bondmen  of  the  law  given  in  the  desert  of 
Sinai,  and  thus  in  the  Hagarene  land.  Hofmann  closely 
connects  ver.  9  with  8  :  At  the  festival  of  Isaac's  weaning, 
Ishmael,  instead  of  sharing  in  the  joy  of  the  family,  was 
mocking  at  the  son  of  his  father.  Sarah's  demand,  ver.  10  : 
And  she  said  to  AhraJiam:  Cast  out  this  hond-ivoman  and  her 
son  ;  for  the  son  of  this  hond-nwrnan  shall  not  he  heir  loiih  riiy 
son,  with  Isaac.  This  request  vexed  Abraham,  but  God  bade 
him  comply  with  it,  vv.  11-13  :  The  thing  appca.rcd  very  dis- 
])lcasing  to  Abraham  because  of  his  son.  But  Elohim  said  to 
Abraham:  Let  it  not  be  displeasing  to  thee  because  of  the  boy 
and  because  of  thy  bond-maid ;  in  all  that  Sarah  says  to  thee, 
hearken  to  her  words  ;  for  through  Isaox  shall  thy  seed  be  named. 
And  also  the  son  of  the  bond-maid  ivill  I  make  a  nation,  because 
he  is  thy  seed.  Sarah's  request,  in  which  proud  contempt  was 
mingled  with  just  displeasure,  was  very  repugnant  to  Abraham, 
not  indeed  on  account  of  Hagar,  who  was  and  continued 
nothing  more  to  him  than  his  wife's  bond -maid,  but  on 
account  of  his  son  whom  she  had  borne,  and  whom  he  loved 
as  his  own  flesh  and  blood  (ri'liX'^y,  on  account  of  the  turns, 
conditions,  circumstances;  comp.  JU»-^,  from  JU-,  to  turn,  an 
ancient  ''on  account  of"  occurring  outside  the  Pentateueli 
only  Josh.  xiv.  6,  Judg.  vi.  7,  Jer.  iii.  8,  comp.  the  corrupt 
passage,  2  Sam.  xiii.  16).  God  however  requires  of  him  the 
denial  of  his  natural  feeling,  basing  this  denial  on  the  promise 
ynt  '^p  xnj?"!  pnvi^  ""S,  and  making  it  easier  by  the  promise  that 
He  would  also  make  the  son  of  the  bond-maid  the  ancestor 
of  a  nation,  even  him  (a  retrospective  pron.  like  xlvii.  21), 
because  he  is  his  seed.  Three  explanations  of  this  iv  ^laaaK 
K\7j97]a£Tai  (70i  aTrepfia  (Eora.  ix.  7  ;  Heb.  xi.  18)  are  possible  : 
after  Isaac's  name  shall  thy  seed  be  called  (v.  Hofm.,  comp. 
Ges.   §   154.   3a),  or:   in,  through,  from  Isaac  shall  seed  be 


GENESIS  XXI.  U.  77 

called  into  existence  for  thee  (Drechsler),  or :  in  Isaac,  through 
him  shall  it  happen,  that  a  seed  of  Abraham  is  spoken  of 
(Bleek),  or  more  accurately:  through  him  shall  a  seed  be 
bestowed  on  thee,  who  shall  bear  thy  name,  and  propagate 
the  blessings  connected  with  it  in  a  direct  line  (Kn.  Dillm.). 
Since  with  the  first  view  we  should  have  expected  Cti'B,  Isa. 
xliii.  7,  xlviii.  1,  and  moreover  the  nation  of  the  promise  is 
only  once,  Amos  vii.  9,  called  P^'^\,  and  since  i<1\^  has  indeed 
the  meaning  "to  call  into  existence,"  Isa.  xli.  4,  Eom.  iv.  17, 
but  never  so  without  an  addition,  the  third  view  must  be 
preferred.  In  Isaac  shall  the  nation,  which  is  and  is  called 
the  genuine  seed  of  Abraham  (Isa.  xli.  8),  have  its  point  of 
departure.  Abraham  understands  this  in  a  vision  of  the 
night,  or  a  dream,  for  he  acts  in  the  morning  according 
to  the  Divine  direction,  ver.  14:  Then  Ahraharn  arose  early 
in  the  morning,  and  tooh  hrcacl  and  a  shin  with  water,  and  gave 
it  to  Ilagar,  laid  it  ivpon  her  nech,  and  the  hoy,  and  sent  her 
av'ay.  And  she  went  and  wandered  in  the  wilderness  of  Bcersiha' . 
He  obeyed  the  voice  of  God,  much  as  his  attachment  to  the 
child  and  his  mother,  and  his  compassion  for  both,  strove 
against  it.  Ishmael  having  been  at  Isaac's  birth,  xvii.  25, 
thirteen  years  of  age,  must  now  have  been  fourteen,  and  yet 
Abraham  puts  him  together  with  the  bread  and  water  upon 
Hagar's  neck.  So  indeed  according  to  the  LXX.,  koI  iirWrjKev 
eVt  TOP  &fiov  avrri<i  ro  Trathlov,  which  Dillm.  looks  upon  as  the 
original  wording.  But  even  supposing  that  E  was  not  as  aware 
of  the  age  of  Ishmael  as  Q  was,  why  should  he  have  looked 
upon  him  as  a  little  child  to  be  carried  by  his  mother  ?  why 
should  l.?*^"^^"!,  governed  by  llii*!!,  be  a  harmonistic  correction  ? 
The  state  of  the  case  is  in  reality  similar  to  rp''J3TiS'i,  xliii.  15. 
Hagar  no  more  took  Ishmael  astride  upon  her  neck  than  his 
brothers  took  Benjamin  in  their  hand  like  the  money ;  ^^, 
like  -'3'^,  xviii.  14,  is  the  perf.  of  the  accessory  action  (Driver, 
§  163).  V^"^),  is  impf.  Kcd  from  nyn,  not  yjJn.  From  Ilagar's 
wandering  in  the  wilderness,  afterwards  called  that  of  Beiir- 


78  GENESIS  XXI.  15-18. 

sheba,  we  may  infer  that  Abraham  at  that  time  resided  in 
the  Negeb.  Nor  does  it  follow  from  vv.  15,  16  that  the 
narrator  regarded  Ishmael  as  a  little  child :  And  the  water  in 
the  skin  was  spent,  then  she  cast  the  child  under  one  of  the  shrubs, 
and  went  and  sat  over  against,  about  a  bow-shot  off ;  for  she  said : 
Let  me  not  look  upon  the  death  of  the  child — therefore  she  sat 
over  against  and  lifted  up  her  voice  and  wept.  The  appellation 
'yy],  (comp.  iv.  23  ;  1  Kings  xii.  8  ;  Dan.  i.  4;  Eccles.  iv.  13) 
leaves  the  age  undecided.  To  cast  is  like  Matt.  xv.  30  (comp. 
to  cast  into  prison,  Jer.  xxxviii.  6),  to  lay  down  hastily,  here 
said  of  the  sudden  resolve  of  hopeless  resignation.  The  store 
of  water  was  spent,  and  Ishmael  in  a  state  of  extreme  exhaus- 
tion was  unable  to  drag  on  any  farther,  and  she  laid  him 
down  under  a  Dn"'r.  The  branchy  woody  perennial  desert 
plant  which  furnishes  the  usual  fuel,  and  in  the  shade  of 
which  a  scanty  vegetation  exists  in  the  hot  season,  is  still  called 
^jJ^.  Under  such  a  shrub  she  laid  him,  that  he  might  at 
least  die  in  the  shade,  and  sat  down  over  against  \in|?P?  V^y} 
T\'^'[>,  at  the  distance  of  shootings  of  the  bow  (Gen.  like  Jer.  iv. 
29),  i.e.  according  to  the  usual  comparatio  decurtata. :  as  far  as 
bow-shots  are  accustomed  to  carry,  from  nm,  original  form 
in9,  Pilcl  nino,  like  ninc>,  Ges.  §  75,  note  18.  Maternal  love 
was  not  able  to  look  upon  the  death  of  the  child  (2  ns"i,  said 
of  compassionate  beholding,  as  at  xliv.  34,  xxix.  32;  Num. 
xi.  15),  but  at  the  same  time  could  not  lose  sight  of  him.  A 
voice  of  comfort  then  resounded  from  heaven,  vv.  17,  18: 
Then  Elohim  heard  the  voice  of  the  boy,  and  the  angel  of  Elohim 
called  to  Hagar  from  heaven,  and  said  to  her :  What  aileth  thee, 
Hagar  ?  fear  not,  for  Elohim  has  heard  the  voice  of  the  boy 
lohere  he  is.  Arise,  lift  up  the  boy  and  hold  him  with  firin 
hand  ;  for  I  will  make  him  a  great  nation.  God  heard  (as  the 
name  ^syot:''  signifies) ;  He  who  had  entered  into  covenant 
with  Abraham,  even  the  Angel  of  the  covenant,  proclaimed 
from  heaven  words  of  comfort  and  encouragement  to  the 
mother,     uf  N^in  iC'Na,  where  (=  "^^  Cii?p3^  2   Sam.  xv.  21) 


GENESIS  XXI.  10-21.  V9 

he  now  is  (in  so  helpless  a  state).  With  ^3  "'ip^ri'!'  is  here 
placed  "^1^"^^*,  which  elsewhere  has  to  he  supplied,  ex  quo 
manifcstum  est,  as  Jerome  remarks,  cum  qiii  tcnctur  non  oneri 
matri  fuisse,  scd  comitcm.  The  immediate  help,  ver.  19  :  Tlioi 
Elohim  opened  her  eyes,  and  she  saw  a  spring  of  water,  and  went 
and  filled  the  shin  ivith  icatcr  and  gave  the  hoy  drink.  Else- 
where (as  at  xxvi,  15)  "iX3  means  a  well  dug  hy  human  hands, 
here  a  spring  that  might  be  seen,  Assyr.  heru  (differing  from 
"ii3="iN3,  cistern,  i.e.  a  receptacle  for  rain  water,  Assyr.  hunt), 
as  at  xiv.  10,  with  "i^n^  the  bitumen  spring.^  A  spring  from 
which  water  was  flowing  appeared  before  her  eyes,  which  had 
become  enlightened,  and  with  it  she  refreshed  the  exhausted 
boy.  How  it  afterwards  fared  with  Ishmael,  vv.  20,  21  : 
And  Elohim  was  ivith  the  hoy,  and  he  greio  up,  and  dwelt  in  the 
ivilderness  and  hccame  an  archer.  And  he  dwelt  in  the  wilderness 
of  Pharan,  and  his  mother  took  him  a  wife  out  of  the  land  of 
Egypt.  Entrance  into  adolescence  is  meant  by  ?^3*1.  The 
sentence  concerning  the  vocation  may  be  translated :  growing 
up,  he  became  an  archer  ;  nn'i^  from  nn"i,  to  increase  =  to  grow, 

comp.  on  Prov.  xxviii.    28;   Arab,  bj-  to   grow    up    (whence 

c_?„  according  to  the  spirit  of  the  Arabic:  educator,  guardian, 
master).  In  the  Mishnic  too  nnn  means  the  youth  (plur. 
C^'i),  according  to  which  E.  Chananel  and  other  ancient 
expositors  (see  Abulwalid's  Lexicon)  and  the  Targ.  translate 
j^jTG'p  s^a"i^  juvenis  sagittarins.  But  it  is  better  to  take  '^?*"i  as 
the  more  general  word,  which  is  more  particularly  explained 
by  nu'i^^  a  caster  (shooter),  viz.  an  archer,  a  permutative  com- 
bination as  at  xiii.  8  ;  1  Kings  i.  2,  v.  29  ;  Ges.  §  113.  The 
LXX.  too  took  nm  in  the  sense  of  33"i,  to  shoot  (like  xlix.  23  ; 
Ps.  xviii.  15  ;  Job  xvi.  13),  translating  the  two  words  together 
To^oTT^?,  and  hence  read  Jy^'\>,  nah  in  the  same  sense  as  non 
^')-\>,,  according  to  which  Onkelos  also  translates  (as  Gr.  Yen. 

'  See  my  article  on  the  song  of  the  well,  Num.  xxi.  17  sqq.,  in  LutharJt's 
Zeitschr.  1882,  pp.  449-451. 


80  GENESIS  XXI.  22,  23. 

does,  ^dWcov  To^ft)),  and  for  which  Hitzig  on  Jer.  iv.  29, 
Hupf.  on  Ps.  Ixxviii.  9,  Kn.  Olsh.  Dillm.  decide.  p*^3  "in*in  is 
the  name  of  the  entire  desert  plateau,  bounded  on  the  west  by 
'Gehel  Heidi  and  'Geleh,  on  the  east  by  the  Edom  country,  on 
the  north  by  tlie  southern  mountains  of  Judtea,  on  the  south 
by  el- Till  proper,  whicli  here  as  a  whole  extending  far  and 
wide  is  opposed  to  the  V^f  "l^53  "ilinrp.  Hagar,  herself  an 
Egyptian,  representing  herein  the  father  (xxxiv.  4,  xxxviii.  6), 
took  for  her  son  a  wife  from  Egypt. 

TEEATY  BETWEEN  ABKAHAM  AND  ABIMELECH,  CH,  XXI.  22-34. 

The  fifth  part  of  the  third  section  of  the  life  of  Abraham 
(xxi.  22—34)  relates  the  solemn  conclusion  of  a  treaty  between 
Abimelech  and  Abraham.  The  narrator  is  F,  the  same  who 
related  Sarah's  preservation  in  Gerar,  and  the  expulsion  of 
Ishmael  and  his  mother ;  the  scene  is  everywhere  the  south 
country,  with  the  neighbouring  Gerar  and  the  great  wilderness 
opening  somewhat  farther  southwards.  The  diction  of  the 
narrator  here  too  has  points  of  contact  with  J,  it  contains 
specially  classical  expressions.  The  conclusion  of  the  covenant 
(denoted  by  n''"i3  m3,  only  used  by  J  and  U,  never  by  Q)  is 
represented  with  the  same  archasological  preciseness  as  the 
history  of  the  redemption  by  the  Goel  in  ch.  iv.  of  the  book 
of  Euth.  Only  at  the  end  does  B  complete  and  frame  the 
narrative  of  H  by  an  extract  from  J.  The  desire  and  pro- 
posal of  Abimelech,  vv.  22,  23  :  And  it  came  to  pass  at  that 
time,  that  Abimelech  spake,  and  Phicol,  the  captain  of  his  host, 
to  Abraham  thus :  Elohim  is  with  thee  in  all  that  thou  doest. 
Now  then  sivear  unto  me  by  Elohim,  on  the  spot,  that  thoio  ivilt 
not  be  faithless  to  me,  nor  to  my  offspring  and  posterity,  that 
the  same  kindness  that  I  have  shoivn  thee,  thou  wilt  shoiv  to  me 
and  to  the  country  in  which  thou  sojourncst  as  a  guest.  A 
friendly  relation,  introduced  by  Abimelech,  already  exists ; 
the   question  is  concerning  its  establishment  for   all  future 


GENESIS  XXr.  25-30.  81 

time,      riiicol  accompanies    Abimelecli,    to  be    present  as  a 

witness.      The   LXX.   adds,   from   the   Jahvistic   counterpart 

(xxvi.    26),    the    name   of    ^l^^.     The    appellations    of    the 

king  and  his  official  are  Canaanite,  as  are  also  the  Philistine 

names   of  the   cuneiform    inscriptions,      "an    locative  of  the 

demonstrative  [},  urges  an  immediate  compliance.     *13?J  p  are 

a  pair  of  words  alliterating  like  an  acrostic,  found  elsewhere 

only  Job  xviii.  19  ;  Isa.  xiv.  22.      Abraham  consents,  ver.  24  : 

Then  Ahraham  said:  I  sivcar.      "^JX  added  to  V^ti'X  (with  the 

original  i  instead   of  e,  like   ^^'^'^,   Judg.  xvi.   26,   together 

with   IV^'^,   Ezek.  xx.   38)   is   as  emphatic  an   expression  as 

2  Kings  vi.  2  ;  Prov.  xxiv.  32.     He  swears,  yet  not  without  a 

"but,"  ver,  25  :  And  Ahraham  reproved  Ahimclech  on  accoimf, 

of   the   well   of  water,    tvhich   the   servants  of  Ahimclech   had 

taken  aivay.     The  article  points  to  some  definite  well,  for  an 

indefinite    one   would    have    been  called  D''Q  "iN*n   (xxi.   19). 

The  king  declares   that  he  has  had  no  part  in  this  unjust 

appropriation  of  Abraham's  property,  ver,  26  :   Tl ten  Ahimclech 

said :  I  Jcnoia  not  who  has  done  this,  and  neither  hast  thou  told 

it  to  me,  nor  have  I  heard  it  except  to-day.     The  perf.  npiiri, 

25«,  relates  in  a  preparatory  manner  to  this  declaration  of 

Abimelecli  (in  which  the  correlatives,  ncque  .  .  ,  ncque,  are  as 

explicit  as  e.g.  at  Num.  xxiii,  25).    This  was  satisfactory,  ver,  27 : 

And  Ahraham  took  sheep  and  oxen  and  gave  them  to  Ahimelceh, 

and   they  hoth   mcide  a  covenant.     Abraham    however  causes 

the  acknowledgment  of  his  property  in  the  well,  which  had 

been  disputed,  to  be  confirmed  by  a  special  formality,  which 

forms,  as  it  were,  an  additional  article  of  the  covenant.     This 

formality   is   symbolical  and  needs  explanation,  vv.   28-30  : 

And  Ahraham  placed  seven  lambs  of  the  flock  apart.      Then 

Ahimelceh  said  to  Ahraham :   What  mean  the  seven  lamhs  which 

thou   hast  set  apart  ?     He  said :  Because  thou    shalt  take  the 

seven  lamhs  from  my  hand,  that  it  may  he  a  witness  for  me  that 

I  have  digged  this  tvell.     "  Seven  lambs  of  the  flock  " — this  is 

one  of  the   cases  where,  as  at   2   Sam.  xii.   30,  Ps.  cxiii.  9, 
VOL.  II.  F 


82  GENESIS  XXI.  31. 

comp.  on  Cant.  i.  115,  the  article  is  connected  "with  the  gen. 
only.  In  the  question :  what  are  {i.e.  mean),  etc.,  nan  is  not 
an  adv.  of  locality  as  at  23a,  but  like  nisn  (Zech.  i.  9),  an 
expression  of  the  copula  (Ew.  §  297&).  The  i^^"^??,  inter- 
changing with  IlI"^??,  is  an  emphatic  form,  like  ni?3,  xlii.  36  ; 
Prov.  xxxi.  29  =  1^?^,  comp.  n3nj)3=in*^3,  l  Kings  vii.  37.  On 
the  absence  of  the  article  in  n"'33  y3t^'"nNlJ  see  Ges.  §  117, 
note  2.  The  testimony  given  by  Abimelech  by  his  acceptance 
of  the  seven  lambs  is  like  an  oath,  for  seven  is  the  number  of 
God  as  manifesting  Himself;  and  to  swear  J?3L*b  is  the  same 
as  to  seven  oneself,  i.e.  to  submit  the  truth  of  a  statement  to 
the  Divine  inspection.  Hence  seven  things,  as  e.g.  among  the 
Arabs,  seven  stones  smeared  with  the  blood  of  the  covenant- 
makers,  and  lying  between  them  (Herod,  iii.  8),  are  therefore 
in  treaties  the  symbolical  instruments  of  sanction  in  the 
name  of  God,  or  take  the  place  of  an  oath  for  confirmation. 
Generally  speaking,  a  gift,  which  one  of  the  contracting 
parties  accepts  from  the  other,  makes  the  contract  the  more 
binding.  So  in  Homer,  //.  xix.  243-246,  where  Agamemnon, 
after  swearing  reconciliation  with  Achilles,  sends  also  seven 
three-footed  kettles  and  seven  women  to  Briseis ;  and  similarly 
also  Gen.  xxxiii.  8-15.  The  name  given  to  the  place  on 
account  of  the  occurrence,  ver.  31  :  Therefore  the  place  vms 
called  Beer-" Si^ha ,  for  there  they  hoth  sivore.  N^P,  as  at  xi.  9, 
xvi.  14,  has  the  most  general  subject.  The  name  means  the 
seven-well,  or,  what  is  indirectly  the  same,  the  well  of  the  oath. 
After  a  similar  covenant  between  Isaac  and  Abimelech,  the 
servants  of  Isaac  find  a  well,  which  they  call  ^^?^\  and  from 
it  the  name  of  the  city  is  said  to  have  been  also  called 
yntt'  "IS3  (xxvi.  32  sq.).  Eobinson  actually  found  there  not 
one  but  two  deep  wells  of  clear,  excellent  water,  still  called 

«_juJl  .AJ  (i.  337-341),  which  means,  in  Arabic   custom   of 
language,  either  the  lion's  well  or  also  the  well  of  impreca- 

tion,  for   ^a*J1   is  a  synonym  of   Ix-^^   "  the  curse "  [DMZ. 


GENESIS  XXI.  32-34.  83 

xxii.  177).  The  extra  V^^  (Josh.  xix.  2)  has  perhaps  a 
similar  relation  to  V?'^""i5<3  as  1?1D,  Xv)(up,  has  to  03^' 
(Xeapolis),  and  is  thus  the  locality  of  Isaac's  well,  named  as 
the  annex  of  Beersheba,  as  Sychar  is  of  Jacob's  well  Con- 
clusion of  the  narrative,  vv.  32-34  :  And  they  made  a  covenant 
in  Beer-^Seha  ;  and  Abimelech  and  Phicol,  the  captain  of  his 
host,  rose  up  and  returned  to  the  land  of  the  Philistines.  And 
he  planted  a  tamarisk  tree  in  Beer-'^S6ha,  and  there  called  upon 
the  name  of  Jahveh  the  eternal  God.  And  Ahraham  sojourned 
a  long  time  in  the  land  of  the  Philistines.  Matter  not 
appertaining  to  the  narrative  of  E  is  here  blended  with  it. 
According  to  J"  it  is  assumed,  ver,  34  (xxvi.  1,  26),  that  Gerar 
was  in  Philistia  and  Beersheba,  beyond  the  Philistine  district. 
Both  the  treaties  were  without  effect  upon  subsequent  history. 
We  nowhere  find  a  trace  that  the  Philistine  nation  remem- 
bered them,  and  Israel  was  directed  to  expel  the  Philistines 
from  the  land  of  promise, — a  direction  indeed  which  they  did 
not  carry  into  effect.  But  what  is  related,  ver.  33  and  xxvi.  25, 
from  J  made  Beersheba,  for  all  future  time,  a  place  of  sacred 
remembrance  which  false  worship  turned  to  profit  (Amos  v.  5, 
viii.  14).  Abraham  there  planted  b'C'^  (as  the  Tamarix  orien- 
talis,  abundant  in  Egypt,  Petroea  and  Palestine,  is  called),  comp. 
those  in  Gibeah,  1  Sam.  xxii,  6,  and  Jabesh,  1  Sam.  xxxi,  13. 
The  statement  that  he  there  called  upon  and  proclaimed  the 
name  of  Jahveh  belongs  to  the  series,  iv.  26,  xii.  8,  xiii.  4, 
xxi.  33,  xxvi.  25  ;  comp.  viii.  20,  xii.  7,  xiii.  18,  xxxiii.  20, 
XXXV.  7.  The  additional  name  o7S]}  px  developes  what  the  name 
f^^j}"!.  declares,  which  hence  designates,  not  Him  who  brings  into 
existence,  but  the  existing  One,  or  Him  to  whom  absolute 
existence  belongs.  Jahveh  as  such  is  D^iy  ba,  who  in  His 
power  is  always  equal  to  Himself.  Such  He  proved  Himself  to 
Abraham,  ever  and  again  meeting  his  weakness  by  His  own 
faithfulness.  Hence  Abraham  dedicates  to  Him  a  tamarisk.  Its 
durable  wood  and  evergeen  foliage  is  a  symbol  of  His  eternity.^ 
^  Trumbull  in  his  Blod  Covenant  (New  York  1885)  takes  this  tamarisk,  as 


8-i  GENESIS  XXII.  1-19. 

But  hardly  had  the  countenance  of  the  Eternal  been  thus 
favourable  to  the  patriarch  than  it  was  again  overcast  with 
clouds,  and  this  time  of  the  very  darkest.  For  it  seemed  as 
though  he  were  to  lose  the  son  of  promise  who,  as  ver.  34  gives 
us  to  understand  by  way  of  transition,  had  grown  up  in  Philistia. 

THE  SACPJFICE  UPON  MORIAII,  CH.  XXII.  1-19. 

This  first  portion  of  the  fourth  section  of  the  life  of 
Abraham  corresponds  with  those  of  the  call,  of  the  covenant 
sacrifice,  of  the  institution  of  circumcision,  which  open  the 
three  preceding  sections.  The  father  of  the  faithful  is  now 
perfected.  The  obedience  of  faith  drew  Abraham  into  a 
strange  land  ;  by  the  humility  of  faith  he  gave  way  to  his 
nephew  Lot;  strong  in  faith,  he  fought  four  kings  of  the 
heathen  with  three  hundred  and  eighteen  men ;  firm  in  faith, 
he  rested  in  the  word  of  promise,  notwithstanding  all  the 
opposition  of  reason  and  nature ;  bold  in  faith,  he  entreated 
the  preservation  of  Sodom  under  increasingly  lowered  con- 
ditions ;  joyful  in  faith,  he  received,  named  and  circumcised 
the  son  of  promise ;  with  the  loyalty  of  faith  he  submitted  at 
the  bidding  of  God  to  the  will  of  Sarah  and  expelled  Hagar 
and  Ishmael  ;  and  with  the  gratitude  of  faith  he  planted  a 
tamarisk  to  the  ever  faithful  God  in  the  place  where  Abimelech 
had  sued  for  his  friendship  and  accepted  his  present, — now  his 
faith  was  to  be  put  to  the  severest  test  to  prove  itself  victori- 
ous, and  to  be  rewarded  accordingly.  Analysis  leads  to  the 
incontestable  results,  that  the  narrative  as  to  the  warp  of  its 
fabric  is  from  E  with  insertions  from  J,  but  that  it  was  not  J 
who  worked  up  the  account  of  E,  but  R  who  completed  it 
from  J,  especially  by  taking  from  J  the  second  angelic  voice 
(vv.    15-18),   the  naming  of  the  place  with  its  explanation 

also  the  terebinths  of  Mamre,  as  covenant  trees,  and,  starting  from  the  assump- 
tion that  the  fundamental  rite  of  ancient  covenanting  (n''"l3  T\~\^)  con- 
sisted in  a  mutual  mingling  of  blood,  thinks  besides  that  they  were  smeared 
•vvilh  the  blood  of  the  covenant. 


GENESIS  XXII.  1,2.  8  5 

(ver.  14),  and  calling  the  angel  of  God  (who  could  not  well  bo 
called  at  one  time  n'^nba  ixba  and  at  another  mn''  ix^ro),  both 
at  vv.  11  and  15,  mn*'  ']i6D.  It  cannot  however  be  main- 
tained that  the  goal  of  the  journey  was  not  already  called  p.^ 
nnisn  in  U,  especially  as  it  is  not  necessary  to  regard  Moriah 
as  containing  the  Divine  name  n\  Not  only  does  the  Divine 
name  DTi^xCn)  point  to  E  as  the  original  narrator,  but  also  the 
mode  of  statement  (Q3^''1  after  a  Divine  revelation  by  night, 
xxii.  1-3,  comp.  xxi.  12—14;  the  voice  of  the  angel  from 
heaven,  xxii.  11,  comp.  xxi.  17  ;  the  ram  seen  upon  looking 
up,  xxii.  13,  comp.  xxi.  19)  and  also  the  mode  of  expression 
in  nowise  to  be  verified  in  Q,  but  in  many  instances  found 
elsewhere  in  B  {e.g.  the  local  nb,  xxii.  5,  xxxi.  37)  or  akin  to 
J  (comp.  n»-,XD,  xxii.  12,  with  xxxix.  6,  9,  23). 

The  narrative  begins  with  the  same  acolouthic  formula  as 
XV.  1  :  It  came  to  pass  after  these  events,  God,  testing  Ahraham, 
said  unto  him  :  Ahraham!  And  he  said:  Behold,  here  lam. 
The  sentence  i^^^  ^'^^^J}\  is  not  an  apodosis  proper,  but  a  state- 
ment of  the  circumstances  of  the  apodosis  which  follows  with 
nps^l  (comp.  without  i,  xl.  1).  Abraham  had  in  the  midst  of 
his  Canaanite  surrounding  the  practice  of  sacrificing  children 
before  his  eyes.  He  saw  how  the  heathen  surrendered  their 
dearest  to  appease  the  deity  and  render  him  propitious. 
Hence  the  question  might  easily  arise  within  :  Wouldst  thou 
be  able  to  do  the  like  to  please  thy  God  ?  Justice  is  done  to 
the  words  "  God  tested  him "  when  we  thus  psychologically 
account  for  the  testing  becoming  a  temptation.  The  tempta- 
tion had  its  origin  in  him,  and  it  became  a  test  when  God 
received  it  into  His  plan  and  gave  it  a  pre-descried  goal.  God 
desired  thus  to  try  him  that  he  might  stand  the  test.  He 
calls  Abraham  by  name,  who  answers  with  willing  attention, 
v.?'?.  Now  follows  the  hard  demand,  ver.  2 :  He  said :  Take 
iky  son,  thine  only  one  ivhom  thou  lovest,  Isaac,  and  go  to  the 
land  of  Moriah  and  offer  him  there  as  a  hurnt-offering  vpon 
one  of  the  mountains  that  1  will  tell  thee.     The  obj.  is  made 


86  GENESIS  XXII.  3. 

prominent  by  a  threefold  '^i^.  Isaac  is  called  his  only  son  not 
as  the  only  one  after  the  expulsion  of  Ishmael,  but  as  the  only 
one  of  his  one  proper  marriage  (Pro v.  iv.  3,  Cant.  vi.  0).  LXX. 
rbv  dyaTrrjrov  {i.e.  HT'T'),  but  this  is  stated  by  ri3nS"iK'X,  whom 
thou  lovest  as  the  long  desired,  the  gift  of  God,  endowed  with 
the  glorious  promises  of  God.  Of  the  inward  conflict,  which 
this  command  called  forth  in  Abraham,  wo.  read  not  a  word. 
He  fought  it  out  to  victory,  he  remained  firm  in  faith,  of 
which  Luther  says :  fides  conciliat  co7itraria  ncc  est  otiosa 
qualitas,  sed  virtus  ejus  est  mortem  occid^e,  infcrnum  damnare, 
esse  pcccato  2^c.ccatum,  diabolo  diaholum,  adeo  ut  mors  non  sit 
mors,  etiamsi  omniiivi  sensus  testetur  adcsse  inortem.  The  "  Land 
of  Moriah  "  occurs  only  here,  but  "  Mount  Moriah  "  (nniisn  -in) 
is,  as  the  testimony  of  2  Chron.  iii.  1  confirmed  upon  internal 
grounds  says,  the  height  upon  which  was  the  threshing-floor 
of  Oman,  the  subsequent  temple  mount.^  Prepared  for  the 
worst,  Abraham  starts  with  Isaac  on  the  morning  after  this 
revelation  at  night,  ver.  3.  Then  Abraham  arose  early  in  the 
morning,  and  saddled  his  ass  and  tooh  his  two  young  men  vntli 
him  and  Isaac  his  son,  and  clave  wood  for  the  hurnt-offcring  and 
arose  and  ivent  to  thei)lace  that  God  had  told  him.  By  the  two 
D'^'^yj  whom  he  took  with  him  are  said,  by  the  T^rg.  Jer.  Pirlce 
de-Ralhi  Eliczer,  ch.  31,  and  by  the  Midrash  in  general,  to  be 
meant  Ishmael  and  Eliezer ;  but  we  are  not  justified  in 
assuming  Ishmael's  return  to  his  father's  house  after  ch.  xxi., 
without  such  express  testimony  as  xxv.  9,  and  Eliezer's  age 
(comp.  xxiv.  2  with  xv.  2)  and  Ishmael's  position  in  the 
family  would  prevent  either  of  them  being  called  lyj.  The 
distance  from  Beersheba  to  Jerusalem  by  way  of  Hebron 
amounts  to  about  38  miles,  and  still  when  the  traveller 
arrives  on  the  third  day  at  Mar  Elias  he  is  all  at  once  sur- 

'  Kuenen  {Einl.  §  13,  note  29)  thinks,  with  Wellh.  and  Dillm.,  that  JE  (who 
worked  up  the  two  into  a  whole)  put  Moriah  iu  the  place  of  another  Ephrainiite 
local  name  for  the  sake  of  transposing  Abraham's  act  of  faith  to  Jerusalem  ; 
but  to  what  purpose  is  this  roundabout  way,  why  not  rather  suppose  that  the 
chronicler  erroneously  indicated  the  name  Moriah  ? 


GENESIS  XXII.  4-10.  87 

prised  by  the  siglit  of  the  temple-mount;  hence  it  is  with 
topographical  fidelity  that  we  are  further  told,  vv.  4,  5  :  Oti 
the  third  day  Ahraham  lifted  tip  his  eyes,  and  saio  the  place  afar 
of.  Then  Abraham  said  to  his  young  men :  Stay  here  with  the 
ass,  and  I  and  the  lad  will  go  yonder  and  worship  and  return 
to  you.  Worship — he  is  certainly  going  to  perform  in  a  devout, 
submissive  frame  of  mind  an  act  of  worship  to  God ;  return 
— so  say  in  him  both  nature  and  faith,  but  with  very  different 
meanings,  ver.  6  :  Then  Ahraham  took  the  wood  for  the  hurnt- 
offering,  and  laid  it  on  Isaac  his  son,  and  took  in  his  hand  the 
fire  and  the,  knife,  and  they  went  hoth  together.  Upon  this 
hardest  path  that  ever  father  went  with  his  child,  Isaac  at  last 
breaks  the  long  silence,  vv.  7,  8  :  Then  Isaac  spake  to  Abraham 
his  father,  and  said :  My  father  !  and  he  said :  Here  am  I,  my 
son.  And  he  said :  Behold  the  fire  and  the  loood  ;  but  lohere  is 
the  lamb  for  the  burnt-offering  ?  Abraham  said :  Mohim  luill 
provide  Himself  the  lamb  for  the  burnt-offering,  and  they  went 
both  together.  Isaac,  by  way  of  gradually  venturing  upon  a 
question,  says :  ''3N*.  To  this  now  heartrending  word  Abraham 
replies :  V?  ''^P.'?-  After  the  deeply  stirred  father  had  uttered 
this  word  of  affection,  Isaac  further  asks  about  the  lamb  for 
the  sacrifice.  This  question  agitates  his  paternal  heart  to  its 
inmost  depth  ;  but  master  through  faith  of  even  the  strongest 
emotions  of  nature,  he  finds  the  right  answer,  an  answer  inspired 
by  forbearing  love  and  foreboding  hope  :  God  will  provide  Him- 
self the  sacrificial  lamb  (nx")  like  nsy,  Job  xv.  22),  and  they 
went  both  together — the  third  stage  of  the  journey,  upon  which 
each  step  was  a  fresh  martyrdom  for  Abraham,  and  required 
a  fresh  victory.  The  simply  yet  deeply-felt  and  touching 
delineation  recalls  the  last  journey  of  Elijah  and  Elisha, 
2  Kings  ii.  1-8.  Arrival  at  the  mountain,  vv.  9,  10  :  And 
they  came  to  the  place  zuhich  God  had  told  him,  and  Abraham 
built  there  the  altar,  and  laid  the  wood  in  order,  and  bound 
Isaac  his  son,  and  laid  him  on  the  altar  uiwn  the  v)Ood.  And 
Abralmm   stretched   out  his  Jiand,  and  took  the  knife  to  slay 


6  8  GENESIS  XXII,  11-14. 

Ms  son.  The  narrative  accompanies  Abraham's  victoriously 
advancing  act  of  obedient  faith  step  by  step  to  the  climax  of 
the  fatal  moment.  Isaac,  whose  fundamental  characteristic  is 
quiet  endurance,  lies  without  resistance  like  a  lamb  upon  the 
I)ile  of  wood,  and  Abraham  has  already  raised  the  knife  for 
the  deadly  stroke.  Then  suddenly  the  angel  of  Jahveh  lights 
lip  tlie  thick  darkness  that  has  gathered  over  the  enigma  of  this 
history,  vv.  11,  12:  Then  the  angel  of  Jahveh  called  to  him, 
from  heaven,  and  said :  Abraham,  Abraham  !  And  he  said . 
Here  am  I.  And  he  said :  Stretch  not  out  thy  hand  against 
the  lad,  and  do  nothing  to  him;  for  now  I  know  that  thou 
fearest  Elohim,  and  hast  not  withheld  thy  son,  thy  only  one, 
from  me.  Isaac,  after  Abraham  had  not  spared  him  {J\^!^, 
to  keep  back  =  ^e/Secr^at,  Eom.  viii.  32),  was  as  good  as 
already  sacrificed.  Abraham  is  proved  to  be  one  who  fears 
Cod  above  all  things,  and  obeys  Him  absolutely  (Jas.  ii.  21-23, 
comp.  Heb.  xi.  17-19).  The  animal  provided  by  God  fur 
sacrifice,  ver.  13  :  And  Abraham  lifted  wp  his  eyes,  and  saw, 
and  behold,  a  ram  in  the  rear  had  entangled  itself  in  the  thicket 
with  its  horns;  then  Abraham  went  and  took  the  ram  and  offered 
him  as  a  burnt-offering  w  the  2^l(<-ce  of  his  son.  Ganneau 
tries  to  make  the  ram  ^V'^  into  a  stag  !?JJ? ;  but  it  is  not  Isaac 
but  Jephthah's  daughter  who  resembles  Iphigenia,  of  whom 
a  stag  takes  the  place.  The  reading  nnx  b''X,  Kpio<i  eh  (LXX. 
Samar.  Syr.  Targums,  Book  of  Jubilees,  Gr.  Ven.),  preferred  by 
Olshausen  and  Ewald,  tells  nothing,  while  the  local  "in^^  (here 
as  at  Ps.  Ixviii.  26,  an  adverb,  and  of  like  meaning  as  when 
used  as  a  preposition,  Ex.  iii.  1)  states  why  the  animal  had 
hitherto  remained  unperceived.  The  MSS.  vacillate  between 
the  finite  TnX3  and  the  part.  Tn^?3. ;  the  noun  sentence  is  more 
graphic.  They  also  vacillate  between  'H???  or  (which  better 
suits  the  plur.  ""J???)  'H???.  Naming  of  the  memorable  place, 
ver.  14:  Then  Abraham  called  the  name  of  that  'place 
Jahveh  sees,  so  that  it  is  said  to  this  day :  Upon  the  mountain 
Jahveh  is  seen,  not  as  it  is  accented,  upon  the  mountain  of 


GENESIS  XXII.  14.  89 

Jahveh  (with  the  genitive  attraction  of  the  subject,  as  at 
V.  Ih)  there  is  He  seen  (a  Icind  of  elliptical  relative  sentence 
scarcely  to  be  authenticated).  "  Jahveh  sees  "  is  meant  like 
xvi.  13  and  like  "  Jahveh  hears "  in  i'Si'DC'"'  (xxi.  17):  He 
sees  to  it,  interposing  in  extreme  necessity.  But  nsv  cannot 
be  the  passive  of  nxn  in  this  meaning,  for  the  i\%A.  in 
the  sense  of  provideri  is  unauihenticated,  and  when  in  the 
course  of  the  history  this  mountain  is  spoken  of,  nx~):  always 
means  either  the  appearing  (self-manifestation)  of  God  or  the 
appearing  of  men  before  Kim.  Nevertheless  "1;:"^?,  "  so  that " 
(as  at  xiii.  IG,  corap.  x.  9),  presupposes  an  internal  connection 
of  the  words  customary  to  this  day  (which  besides  form  only 
a  fragment  of  a  sentence;  comp.  x.  9  ;  Num.  xxi.  14  sq.)  wiLli 
the  saying  of  Abraham.  Nor  is  this  connection  difficult  to 
discover;  the  rii^^l  of  Jahveh  coincided  in  the  case  of  Abraham 
as  in  that  of  Hagar,  xvi.  13,  xxi.  17,  with  ^i^^■^^  ;  He  saw  to  it 
by  taking  upon  Himself  to  see,  i.e.  to  interpose.  This  ver.  1 4 
sounds  like  a  voice  from  very  ancient  times,  and  not  as  if  the 
word  nnb  were  to  be  explained  by  it,  which  moreover  cannot 
be  explained  from  ^l  ~?:^19,  something  givei".  to  see  (Ex.  xxv.  40) 
=  appearing  of  Jah,  without  phonetic  difficulty ;  we  expect 
H'sno  (comp.  "^'^^I^)  and  the  article  ^'^I'^sn,  which  also  the 
chronicler,  2  Chron.  iii.  1,  still  maintains  is  strange  (for  the 
case  is  different  in  Ps.  cxviii.  5) ;  the  word  seems  rather  to 
rank  with  nnn^n,  l  Chron.  iv.  18,  than  with  n;^2X0,  Jer.  ii.  31. 
In  any  case  ver.  14  does  not  read  as  if  the  naming,  ver.  2, 
could  be  regarded  as  conscious  anticipation.  Nor  do  any  of  the 
ancient  translators  express  the  Divine  name  in  nno,  not  even 
Symmachus,  who  translates  rfjq  oTnaala^;  the  Jewish  Targums 
translate  NJn^iDT  NV'ix,  Land  of  worship,  the  Samaritan  Targum 
nnnn  ins,  and  the  Samar.  Arab.:  the  chosen  land.  Differently 
again,  and  not  worth  mentioning,  the  LXX.  and  Syriac. 

The  narrative  apparently  terminates  with  ver.  14.  What- 
ever may  be  the  case  with  this  ver.  14,  it  is  evident  why  it 
seems  to  stand  more  appropriately  here  (nearer  to  vv.  8  and  1 3) 


90  GENESIS  XXII.  15-19. 

tliaii  after  the  repeated  promise  which  now  follows,  vv.  15-18  : 
A7id  the  angel  of  Jahvch  called  to  Abraham  a  second  time  from 
heaven,  and  said :  By  myself  have  I  sworn,  a  saying  of  Jahveh, 
that  because  thou  hast  done  this  and  not  withheld  thy  son,  thine 
only  one — that  I  icill  bless,  yea  bless  thee,  and  increase,  yea  increase 
thy  posterity  like  the  stars  of  heaven,  and  like  the  sand  which  is 
on  the  sea-shore  ;  and  thy  seed  shall  take  possession  of  the  gate  of 
their  enemies :  And  in  thy  seed  shall  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  be 
blessed,  because  thou  hast  obeyed  my  voice.  Not  an  addition  by 
B,  but  from  J"  (comp.  xii.  1-3,  xxiv.  60,  also  on  ">C'S  2\>V,  xxvi. 
5) — a  point  of  unprecedented  lustre  in  the  Old  Testament,  for 
Jahveh  here  swears  what  He  promises,  as  He  does  nowhere 
else  in  His  intercourse  with  the  patriarchs  (comp.  the  passages 
referring  to  it,  xxiv.  7,  Ex.  xxxii.  13,  Luke  i.  73,  Acts  vii.  17) 
and  for  the  first  time  in  the  sacred  history ;  for  His  promise 
that  there  should  no  more  be  so  universal  a  deluge  is  indeed 
like  an  oath  in  value,  Isa.  liv.  9,  but  is  not  one  in  words.  He 
swears  by  Himself,  because  He  can  swear  by  no  greater,  Heb. 
vi.  13,  engages  Himself  by  means  of  His  own  Person  (n  used 
in  swearing  of  the  means  of  corroboration).  The  exalted 
'i"TDS3,  unusual  as  introducing  Divine  declarations  in  the 
primitive  history,  is  the  subsequent  formula  of  attestation  in 
prophecy  (in  the  Pentateuch  it  occurs  again  only  Num.  xi v.  2  8, 
not  even  Deut.  xxxii.).  The  resumption  too  of  ""^  (that)  at  ver. 
17  is  very  emphatic.  Thus  the  form  as  well  as  the  contents 
is  exuberant,  for  the  victor  of  Moriah  is  higher  than  the  victor 
of  Dan.  Abraham  conquered  himself  and  offered  up  Isaac. 
He  won  him  back  as  ancestor  of  an  innumerable  world,  sub- 
duing people,  possessing  the  gate  of  their  enemies,  and  a  seed 
blessed  to  be  a  blessing  to  all  nations.  Thus  gloriously 
recompensed  does  the  patriarch  depart,  ver.  19  :  And  Abraham 
returned  to  his  young  men,  and  they  arose  and  went  together 
to  Bcer-'St^a'. 

The  change  of   the    Divine    name    is  occasioned   by   the 
account  being  composed  from  B  and  J,  and  is  in  its  present 


GENESIS  XXII.  19.  91 

state  (which  it  has  not  attained  without  the  interposition  of 
H  in  ver,  11)  significant.  The  God  who  commands  Abraham 
to  sacrifice  Isaac  is  called  n\"i^s(n),  and  the  Divine  appear- 
ance, which  forbids  the  sacrifice,  mn''  "lif^D.  He  who  requires 
from  Abraham  the  surrender  of  Isaac  is  God  the  Creator,  who 
has  power  over  life  and  death,  and  hence  power  also  to  take 
back  what  He  has  given  ;  but  it  is  Jahveh  in  His  angel  who 
forbids  the  fulfilment  of  the  extreme  act,  for  the  son  of 
promise  cannot  perish  without  the  promise,  and  therewith 
God's  truthfulness  and  His  counsel  of  salvation  also  coming  to 
nought.  In  fact,  the  God  who  requires  Abraham  to  sacrifice 
his  only  son  after  the  manner  of  the  Canaanites  (2  Kings  iii. 
27;  Jer.  xix.  5),  is  only  apparently  the  true  God.  The 
demand  was  indeed  only  made  to  prove  that  Abraham  was 
not  behind  the  heathen  in  the  self-denying  surrender  of  his 
dearest  to  his  God,  and  that  when  the  demand  had  been 
complied  with  in  spirit,  the  external  fulfilment  might  be 
rejected.  Schelling  exaggerates  the  contrast  when  he  thinks 
that  the  same  evil  principle,  which  misled  other  nations  to 
human  sacrifices,  is  here  called  D^^bx.  The  Thorah  knows  of 
human  sacrifice,  and  indeed  of  the  sacrifice  of  a  man's  own 
children  (sons  or  daughters,  and  especially  the  first-born),  only 
as  an  abomination  of  Moloch- worship  (Lev.  xviii.  21,  xx.  1-5  ; 
comp.  Baudissin's  Jahveh  et  Moloch,  1874,  and  Schlottmann's 
article,  "  Moloch,"  in  Ehiem).  Jephthah's  vow  was  like  that 
of  Idomeneus  on  his  return  from  Troy,  heathen,  Israelite  and 
Canaanite  popular  notions  coinciding  at  that  period.  The 
true  Israel  possessed  in  the  transaction  with  Abraham  an  ever 
valid  Divine  protest  against  human  sacrifice,  and  abhorred  it. 
The  ram  in  the  thicket,  which  Abraham  offered  in  the  place 
of  Isaac,  is  the  prototype  of  animal  sacrifice,  which  is  here 
sanctioned  upon  the  same  mountain  on  which,  during  the 
entire  Old  Testament  period,  the  typical  blood  of  animal 
sacrifice  was  to  be  shed,  while  in  the  times  of  apostasy  the 
abomination  of  human  sacrifice,  branded  by  the  prophets,  was 


92  GENESIS  XXII.  20-24. 

continued  in  the  valley  of  Ben^-Hinnom  below.  The  proto- 
type is  however  at  the  same  time  a  type :  quis  illo  (ariete) 
Jigurahatur — asks  Augustine  {Civ.  xvi.  32) — nisi  Christus 
Jesus,  antcquam  immolardur,  spinis  Judaicis  coronatus  ?  Isaac 
was  only  offered  up  iv  irapaBoKy  (Heb.  xi.  17-19),  is  pre- 
eminently the  abiding  parable  of  the  son  of  Abraham  and  Son 
of  God,  who  bore  His  cross  of  wood  and  was  really  sacrificed 
thereon,  Christi  in  vidimam  concessi  a  jpatre,  lignum  passionis 
Slice  hajulantis  (Tertulliau,  adv.  Judccos,  c.  10).  Isaac  carried 
the  wood,  says  also  the  Midrash  {Pcsikta  rdbbatlii,  54a),  like 
a  man  who  takes  up  his  cross  (n^^i").  The  love  of  Abraham, 
loving  God  above  all  else  and  depriving  himself  of  what  was 
dearest  for  Him,  serves  the  Church  as  a  figure  of  the  super- 
abundant love  of  God,  who  spared  not  His  only-begotten  Son, 
but,  Piom.  viii.  32,  so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave  Him  up 
to  death,  John  iii.  16.  Hence  ancient  ecclesiastical  art  took 
delight  in  representing  the  sacrifice  of  Isaac  especially  upon 
sarcophagi.  Quis piduram  Abraham  ccrncns  d  gladium  pueri  ccr- 
vicihus  immincntem — asks  Gregory  the  Great  in  a  letter  to  the 
Emperor  Leo  the  Isaurian — non  compungitur  d  collacrimatur  ? 

THE  NEWS  OF  NAHOR'S  FAMILY,  CH.  XXII.  20-24. 

The  special  object  of  the  second  portion  of  the  fourth 
section  of  Abraham's  life,  xxii.  20  sqq.,  is  Eebecca ;  she  is 
therein  as  "  the  rose  among  thorns."  For  it  contains  intelli- 
gence concerning  the  progeny  of  ISTahor,  his  brother,  which 
in  the  difficulties  of  intercourse  then  existing  arrived  thus 
opportunely.  It  is  J  who,  in  the  genealogy  of  the  Cainites, 
and  in  that  part  of  the  ethnographical  table  which  is  to  be 
referred  to  him,  usesnis^  of  the  father  ;  the  xin-DJ  too  of  vv,  20 
and  24  is  like  iv.  4,  22,  26,  x.  21  ;  and  though  the  deriva- 
tion of  )'iy  and  D"iS  here  is  not  necessarily  in  opposition 
to  x.  22  sq.,  yet  it  is  more  probable  that  intelligence  which 
sounds  so  differently  should  be  from  a  different  than  from  the 


GENESIS  XXII.  20-24.  93 

same  hand.  Hence  Eiidde  (pp.  2  2  0-2  2  G)  will  be  right  when 
he  says  that  it  is  /,  who  here  follows  up  the  history  of  the 
temptation  related  by  him,  by  what  prepares  for  the  history 
of  Isaac's  marriage  which  he  is  about  to  relate. 

A  connecting  verse,  ver.  20  :  And  it  came  to  pass  after  these 
occurrences  that  it  loas  told  to  Ahraham  thtis :  Behold  Milcah, 
she  also  has  home  sons  to  thy  brother  Nahor.  Eight  sons  of 
Nahor,  the  brother  of  Abraham,  by  Milcah,  are  now  enume- 
rated and  finally  summed  up  with  'iJl  n^st  r\pzj  (rh^  for  rh)^ry^ 
as  fixed  as  ^l,  Judg.  vi.  14,  comp.  Josh.  ix.  13).  1,  py,  the 
first-born,  who,  according  to  x.  23  (which  see),  was  the  son  of 
Aram  and,  according  to  xxxvi.  28,  the  grandson  of  Seir  the 
Horite.  Combining  thus,  we  must  distinguish  within  the  old 
Aramrean  py  a  younger  Xahorite  branch,  and  perhaps  also 
a  Seirite  ingredient.  2.  Ti3.  In  the  book  of  Job  a  fourth 
opponent  appears  in  the  person  of  Elihu  the  Buzite  (xxxii  1). 
Jeremiah  seems,  xxv.  23,  to  reckon  the  Buzites  among  the 
shorn  Arabic  wandering  tribes ;  and  the  Asarhaddon-Prisms 
mention,  after  the  section  treating  of  Arabia,  a  land  Bdzvj  and 
a  land  ^«5:2<,  coinciding  in  sound  witli  the  iTn  here  named,  22a 
(Paradics,  p.  306  sq.).  3.  D"^>^  ''?^?  '''^^^i?,  i.e.  certainly:  the 
ancestor  of  a  younger  branch  of  the  Aramfpan  people,  x.  22. 
4.  1t,"3,  by  no  means  the  ancestor  of  the  ancient  Chaldajans, 
after  whom  D"''^'^'?  "ilX  is  named,  xi.  28,  but  of  a  Nahorite  tribe 
mingled  with  them.  5.  ijn,  the  cuneiform  Hazu,  perhaps 
Xa^t'jVT),  according  to  Arrian  in  Steph.  Byz.,  a  satrapy  on  the 
Euphrates  in  Mesopotamia.  In  Strabo,  xvi.  73G,  a  satrapy  of 
Assyria  between  Kalachene  and  Adiabene  bears  this  name ; 
perhaps  these  two  Xa^/jvr]  are  one  and  the  same.  6.  t^^r^?. 
As  a  masculine  name,  ic^n^D  is  Nabata^an,  BMZ.  xiv.  440. 
7.  ^p\  8.  ^^^ri3,  which  has  always  been  a  personal,  and  not 
a  tribal  or  a  local  name.  This  Bethuel,  called  besides,  as  well 
as  Laban,  ^^nsn  in  js  and  Q,  begat  {'t>1)  ^?^^^.,  the  future  wife 
of  the  son  of  promise.  To  these  eight  sons  of  Nahor,  four 
more  are  added,  ver.  24  :  And  his  concubine,  and  her  name 


94  GENESIS  XXIIL 

was  Beumah,  she  also  hare  .  .  .  The  i  of  n^C'l  is  not  that  of 
the  apodosis :  and  his  concubine,  whose  name  was  Eeumah 
(which  cannot  be  proved  as  syntactically  possible  from  Ps. 
cxv.  7  ;  Prov.  xxiii.  24),  but  the  relation  is  as  follows  :  As 
to  his  concubine  (xxiv,  29)  of  the  name  of  Eeumah,  she  also 
bare,  Ges.  §  129,  note  1.  The  children  of  Nahorby  Pteumah : 
1,  n3D.  Places  according  in  sound  with  this  name,  and 
geographically  appropriate,  are  nn30,  one  of  the  cities  of 
Hadadezer,  1  Chron.  xviii.  8  (for  which  2  Sam.  viii.  8,  ^jpn), 
and  Thsebata  in  north-western  Mesopotamia,  in  Plin.  vi.  30, 
compared  by  Kn.,  also  Ge^rjOd,  according  to  Arrian  in  Steph. 
Byz. ;  but  according  to  Tab.  Peut.  xi.,  south  of  Nisibis.  2.  Dn3. 
3.  ti'nri.  Kn.  mentions  '^Ta/);;^a9,  north-west  of  Nisibis,  in  Pro- 
copius,  de  (xdif.  ii.  4,  but  as  not  quite  geographically  appro- 
priate. The  name  means  the  sea-dog  {jjlioca),  in  Assyr.  the 
wether  (see  Priedr.  Delitzsch,  Proleg.  77).  4.  ^^V^,  the  ancestor 
of  nayo  D~|X,  1  Chron.  xix.  6,  of  an  Aramsean  tribe  settled 
ifk'qaLov  opou^  ^Aepficov,  Euseb.  and  Jerome  in  the  Onomasticon 
under  MaxaOL  n3j?sn  n^n  ^3X  (2  Sam.  xx.  15  and  frequently 
without  an  article),  i.e.  Abel  in  Beth-Ma'acha  is  Abil,  a  little  to 
the  south-west  of  Banias.  There  are  together  twelve  sons  of 
Kahor,  and  their  relative  numbers  are  the  same  as  in  the  case  of 
the  twelve  sons  of  Jacob:  eight  by  the  wife  Milcah,  as  in  Jacob's 
eight  by  Leah  and  Eachel;  four  by  the  concubine  Eeumah,  as 
in  Jacob's  four  by  Bilhah  and  Zilpah.  Another  parallel  to  the 
twelve  sons  of  Jacob  are  the  twelve  D''X''b'3  of  Ishmael.  To 
find  at  once  an  artificial  schematism  in  such  circumstances 
would  be  rashness ;  accidental  coincidences  are  often  curious, 
and  history  itself  brings  much  surprising  schematism  to  pass. 


DEATH  OF  SAEAH,  AND  PURCHASE  OF  THE  CAVE  OF  MACHPELAH, 

CH.  XXIII. 

From    this    poijit    onwards   there     follow    only    the     last 
experiences,  testamentary  dispositions   and    arrangements    of 


GENESIS  XXIII.  1,  2.  95 

Abraham,  and  first  in  the  third  part  of  the  section,  the  account, 
ch.  xxiii,,  of  Sarah's  death,  and  of  the  acquisition  of  a  family 
grave  in  the  cave  of  Machpelah.  Q,  who  delights  in  formulas 
and  schemes,  who  is  fond  of  an  almost  strophic  arrangement, 
even  when  the  matter  is  not  of  a  nature  to  be  tabulated,  and 
who,  in  order  to  inculcate  firmly  what  he  testifies,  does  not 
shun  tautological  repetitions,  is  immediately  recognisable  as 
the  narrator.  Here  in  ch.  xxiii.  he  works  up  matter  especially 
adapted  to  his  style  of  historical  composition,  not  only  with 
legal  accuracy,  but  at  the  same  time  with  such  vivid  direct- 
ness, that  we  are  transposed  into  the  life  of  the  period  with 
its  forms  of  courtesy  and  mode  of  dealing.  It  is  to  him  that 
we  are  indebted  for  this  authentic  narrative  concerning  the 
acquisition  of  the  cave  of  Machpelah  (comp.  his  intentional 
references  thereto,  xxv.  9  sq.,  xlix.  29—32,  1.  13),  which  is 
characteristic  of  his  mode  of  statement,  not  only  by  the  use 
of  certain  favourite  words  (such  as  '"iJO^>  '"'i'?'?)  na-'in)  and  turns 
(such  as  the  distributive  ?,  ver.  10,  and  3,  ver.  18),  but  also 
by  a  peculiar  kind  of  historiographic  art,  which  knows  how  to 
produce  great  pictures  and  impressions  with  the  simplest 
means. 

The  portion  is  divided  into  two  parts.  The  first  two 
verses  relate  the  death  of  Sarah  and  the  mourning  of 
Abraham,  vv.  1,  2  :  A7id  the  life  of  Sarah  amounted  to  a 
hundred  and  ttventy-seven  years — the  years  of  the  life  of  Sarah. 
And  Sarah  died  in  Kirjath  Aria',  whieh  is  Hebron,  in  the  land 
of  Canaan,  and  Abraham  came  to  moui'n  for  Sarah  and  to 
weep  for  her.  As  Sarah  was  ninety  (xvii.  17)  at  the  birth  of 
Isaac,  he  must  have  been  thirty-seven  when  his  mother  died 
(comp.  xxv.  20),  so  that  at  least  twenty  years  elapsed  between 
the  occurrence  on  Moriah  and  the  death  of  Sarah.  Hence  we 
cannot  be  surprised  to  find  Abraham,  whom  we  left,  xxii. 
19,  in  Beersheba,  again  in  Hebron.  Hebron  lay  to  tlie 
north-east  of  Beersheba,  about  two-thirds  of  the  distance 
thence   to    Jerusalem.       The    narrator    first    calls    the    town 


96  GENESIS  XXIII.  I,  2. 

ynnx  n^ip^  and  then  explains  this  by  P^n,  just  as  at  xxxv. 
27;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  found  without  the  older 
name  at  xiii.  18,  xxxvii.  11.  The  name  Kirjath-arba'  is  the 
more  ancient.  Arba',  according  to  Josh.  xiv.  15,  xv.  13, 
xxi,  11  comp.  Judg.  i.  10,  was  the  name  of  a  ruler  of  the 
ancient  city  who  belonged  to  the  primitive  gigantic  popula- 
tion. The  city  was,  according  to  Num.  xiii.  22,  built  seven 
years  before  Zoan  (Tanis)  in  Egypt.  The  name  might  also 
mean  the  four-town,  i.e.  the  town  of  four  quarters,  which  to 
this  day  would  be  a  suitable  one  (see  Furrer's  art.  "  Hebron," 
in  the  B ihcl lexicon) ;  and  when  it  is  called,  xxv.  27,  ^*T''ip 
ymxn^  this  meaning  seems  really  to  be  combined  with  it. 
Since  Caleb,  in  order  to  get  possession  of  it,  had  to  drive 
out  this  race  of  Anakim  (Josh.  xiv.  12  sqq.),  while  in 
Abraham's  time  these  anything  but  barbarous  Hethites,  who, 
with  other  Phenician  tribes  dwelt  in  a  wider  circuit  upon 
the  mountains  of  Judah,  were  lords  of  the  city,^  it  must 
liave  often  changed  both  masters  and  names.  Sarah  died 
here  in  Hebron,  and  Abraham  went  into  the  inner  part  of 
the  tent,  to  the  corpse  of  his  wife,  to  mourn  for  her  C??,  Lat. 
plangere  aliquem,  Heb.  with  h  of  him  to  whom  the  ijlanctus 
or  6prjvo<;  applies,  once  "'ps?,  2  Sam.  iii.  31  :  before  the  dead, 
when  carried  to  the  grave)  and  to  weep  for  her  (i^J^s??,  with 
small  dageshed  a,  as  also  the  d,  Ps.  xl.  15,  and  generally  the 
aspirate  after  ^  are  mostly  dageshed,  but  with  exceptions  such  as 

1  It  need  not  be  brought  to  bear  against  credibility  of  the  Hethites  of 
Hebron,  that  Q  is  the  most  recent  of  the  Pentateuchal  sources,  for  in  the 
Jehovistic  history  also  {JE)  THin  is  everywhere  an  element  of  the  population 
of  the  Holy  Land,  whether  ten  nations  (xv.  19-21)  or  six  (Ex.  iii.  8,  17,  xxiii. 
23,  xxxiv.  11)  or  live  (Ex.  xiii.  15),  or  not  reckoning  Amalek,  four  (Num.  xiii. 
29)  are  named.  And  M'here  in  Deuteronomy  seven  nations  are  named,  vii.  1 
(comp.  Josh.  xxiv.  11),  or  six,  xx.  17,  TlPin  stand  fii-st.  The  historical 
authenticity  of  a  southern  branch  of  the  Hethites  is  justly  maintained  by  W. 
Wright,  The  Empire  of  the  Hittites  (1884,  2nd  edit.  1886),  by  Frederick  Brown 
in  his  article  the  "Hittites,"  in  the  Presbyterian  Review,  1886,  pp.  277-303, 
as  well  as  by  Sayce,  Alte  Denhmdler,  p.  110.  An  allusion  to  the  northern 
Hittite  land  (Josh.  i.  4)  is  found  Judg.  i.  26  (comp.  xi.  3,  where  LXX.  S  reads 
in  the  first  passage  ^"inn,  and  in  the  second  "•nnn).  In  Egyptian  documents, 
Kadesh  on  the  Orontes,  and  in  Assyrian,  Carchemish,  is  the  Hethite  centre. 


GENESIS  XXIII.  3-6.  97 

Jer.  i.  10,  xlvii.  4).  It  is  purposely  that  the  narrator  adds 
iy:3  )'7.^?3.  It  was  in  the  Land  of  Promise  that  Sarah  the 
ancestress  of  Israel  died.  The  Old  Testament  does  not 
relate  with  such  intensity  of  purpose  the  termination  of  any 
other  woman's  life  —  for  Sarah  is  historically  the  most 
important  woman  of  the  ancient  covenant,  she  is  the  mother 
of  the  seed  of  promise,  and  in  him  of  all  believers,  1  Pet.  iii. 
6,  ?;?  iyevjjdrjTe  reKva,  she  is  the  Old  Testament  Mary.  In  her 
unclouded  faith  Mary  stands  far  above  Sarah,  and  yet  Scripture 
is  silent  concerning  her  age  and  death.  This  happens  because 
he  whom  Sarah  bore  is  not  greater  than  herself,  but  Mary 
bore  a  son,  before  whose  glory  her  own  personality  vanishes. 

After  Sarah's  ■  death,  Abraham  applies  to  the  Hethites  for 
a  burying-place,  vv.  3,  4 :  Aoid  Abraham  lifted  up  himself 
from  the  face  of  his  dead  and  spoke  thus  to  the  sons  of  Heth : 
A  stranger  and  a  sojourner  am  I  among  you,  give  me  a 
burying-place  ivith  you,  that  I  may  bury  my  dead  out  of 
my  sight.  What  now  takes  place  is,  as  F.  C.  v.  Moser 
remarks,  a  delightful  scene  of  courtesy,  simplicity,  kind- 
heartedness,  naivete,  humility,  modesty,  magnanimity,  not 
without  some  shadow  of  ambition  and  of  the  kind  of 
expectation  entertained,  when  in  a  bargain  everything  is 
ventured  upon  the  kind  -  heartedness  of  the  buyer.  To 
bury  is  called  "i?i^,  which,  as  the  Syriac  shows,  means  as 
a  synonym  of  "i?^*  cumulare,  tuimdare,  and  hence  points  to 
humatio  not  cremdtio  as  the  most  ancient  mode  of  burying. 
Abraham  calls  his  dead  no  not  nno,  because  in  the  case  of  a 
corpse  the  distinction  of  sex  is,  as  henceforth  without  im- 
portance, in  the  background.  Answer  of  the  Hethites,  vv, 
5,  6  :  Then  the  sons  of  Heth  anstvercd  Abraham,  saying  to 
him :  Hear  us,  my  lord,  a  prince  of  God  art  thou  among  us, 
in  the  choicest  of  our  sepulchres  bury  thy  dead,  none  of  us  will 
withhold  from  thee  his  burying-place  to  bury  thy  dead.  Here, 
as  also  ver.  14,  the  Sb  after  "ib^b  seems  with  the  LXX.  drawn 
to  the  next  verse,  and  to  need  to  be  read  there  according  to 

VOL.  II.  G 


98  GENESIS  XXIII.  7-11. 

ver.  13,  I^.Vpp'  1'',  "hear  us,  we  pray,"  though  the  comhination 
ib  ibsb  is  according  to  Lev,  xi.  1  allowable,  and  on  the  other 
side  ^^  with  the  imp.  unusual  (comp.  on  the  contrary  xvii. 
18,  XXX.  34).  This  construction  is  escaped  by  correcting 
with  LXX.  Samar.  i^  into  iib  after  11a  (nay,  my  lord,  hear 
us) ;  but  this  ^b  with  the  imp.  is  defended  by  ver.  13,  it 
gives  to  the  invitation  a  touch  of  desire,  as  the  enclitic  W 
does  to  the  petition.  Instead  of  the  first  ^riD,  Bereshith  rabha 
c.  58  assumes  the  reading  yntD.  Touched  and  encouraged 
by  so  respectful  and  kind  a  reception,  Abraham  combines 
with  his  thanks  a  definite  request,  vv.  7-9  :  Thc7i  Ahraham 
rose  and  hoived  himself  doion  hcfore  the  'people  of  the  land,  the 
sons  of  Heth.  And  he  talked  icith  them,  saying :  If  it  is 
your  will  to  receive  my  dead  into  a  grave  out  of  my  sight, 
hear  me,  and  entreat  for  me  Ephron  the  son  of  Sohar,  that 
he  may  give  me  the  cave  of  Machpclah,  which  hclongs  to  him, 
which  is  in  the  end  of  his  field ;  for  its  full  money  let  him 
give  it  me  in  the  midst  of  you  for  a  possession  of  a  hurying- 
place.  The  Hethites,  as  the  prevailing  population  of  Hebron 
and  its  neighbourlipod  are  called,  "  the  people  of  the  land," 
just  as  at  Josh.  i.  4  all  Canaan  is  called  per  synccdochen  T}^ 
D''rinn.  "  Full  money  "  is  equivalent  to  the  sum  corresponding 
to  the  value  of  the  piece  of  land,  1  Chr.  xxi.  22.  To  express 
without  saying  so  how  readily  and  quickly  this  was  done,  the 
narrator  at  once  introduces  Ephron  himself  as  speaking,  vv.  10, 
11  :  And  Ephron  was  sitting  in  the  midst  of  the  children  of 
Heth,  and  Ephron  the  Hethite  answered  aloud  hefore  the  sons  of 
Heth,  so  many  of  them  as  went  in  to  the  gate  of  his  toimi,  saying : 
Nay,  my  loixl,  hear  me,  the  field  give  I  thee  and  the  cave  that  is 
in  it,  to  thee  I  give  it  hefore  the  eyes  of  my  fellow-countrymen, 
I  give  it  thee  to  hury  thy  dead.  To  read  N?  for  the  first 
word  of  ver.  11  (2  Sam.  xviii.  12  comp.  1  Sam.  xiv.  30) 
is    not  so  necessary  as  at   1    Sam.   xiii.    13;^  for  Maurer's 

1  See   K.   Kohler's    art.    on    "KP   in    Geiger's    Jud.    Zeitschrtft,   vi. 
21  sqq. 


GENESIS  XXIII.  12-15.  99 

remark  that  N^  rustici  quid  hahet  is  refuted  by  the  fact,  that 
the  refusal  of  the  purchase  money  is  in  itself  a  courtesy 
great  in  proportion  as  the  refusal  is  a  decided  one.  It  is  a 
solemn  deed  of  gift  which  Ephron  performs,  but  which 
Abraham 'declines,  vv.  12,  13:  Then  Ahrahaiii  bowed  himself 
down  in  the  presence  of  the  people  of  the  land,  and  spoke  to 
Ephron  in  the  hearing  of  the  people  of  the  land,  saying :  If 
thou  on  thy  part  woiddst  only  hear  me  !  I  give  the  price 
of  the  field,  take  it  of  me,  and  I  will  hury  my  dead 
there.  Showing  reverence  before  all  the  people  to  the 
chief  of  the  city,  and  even  exceeding  him  in  expressions 
of  courteous  urgency,  he  answers  that  he  will  accept  his 
offer,  yet  ^5<  with  the  earnest  desire  and  only  under  the 
condition,  that  he  will  allow  himself  to  be  duly  requited. 
DX  is  the  optative  and  ^i^  its  intensifying  permutative. 
Hitzig's  explanation  of  the  nriX"DS  "  if  thou  agreest "  is 
tempting,  but  the  usage  of  the  language  nowhere  shows  the 
Kal  of  nis  (to  agree),  but  only  the  Xiph.  The  combination 
of  the  two  optative  particles  with  the  imperative  is  indeed 
rare,  on  which  account  LXX.,  Samar.,  Onkelos  read  y  i^nx  DX 
(if  thou  wishest  me  well).  It  cannot  be  supported  by  Job 
xxxiv^  1  6  (where  ^^2  is  to  be  accented  as  a  subst.),  still  we 
think  that  it  must  be  regarded  as  possible  on  the  ground  of 
our  passage.  Ephron  now  delicately  gives  Abraham  to  under- 
stand at  what  rate  he  values  the  land,  while  apparently 
persisting  in  his  refusal,  vv.  14,  15  :  Tlicn  Uphro7i  answered, 
saying  to  him :  My  lord,  hear  me — a  piece  of  land  of  four 
hundred  shekels  of  silver  between  me  and  thee,  what  is  it  ? 
And  bury  thy  dead  !  The  bargain  which  is  here  made  between 
Ephron  and  Abraham,  is  to  this  very  day  repeated  in  that 
country.  In  Damascus,  when  a  purchaser  makes  a  lower 
offer  than  can  be  accepted,  he  is  answered  :  "What,  is  it  a 
matter  of  money  between  us  ?  Take  it  for  nothing,  friend,  as 
a  present  from  me  (Jicdije  minni)  ;  don't  feel  under  any  kind 
of    constraint!    {BMZ.    xi.    505).      Dieterici    {Bcisebildcr,    2. 


100  GENESIS  XXIII.  16. 

1G8  sq.)  had  a  similar  experience  in  Hebron:  "In  our 
excursions  we  had  noticed  a  fine  grey  horse  belonging  to 
the  Quarantine  inspector.  Mr.  Blaine,  my  fellow-traveller, 
had  appeared  to  wish  to  buy  the  animal.  It  now  made  its 
appearance  at  our  tents.  We  inquired  the  price,  and  our 
astonishment  may  be  conceived,  when  the  dirty  Turk  offered 
us  the  animal  as  a  present.  Mr,  Blaine  declared  that  he  by 
no  means  intended  to  take  it  as  a  present,  when  the  Turk 
replied:  What  then  are  five  purses  (£25  sterling)  to  thee?" 
Similar  experiences  take  place  every  day  in  Egypt  (Lane, 
ii,  150).  Abraham  well  understood  the  meaning  of  this 
figurative  turn  of  speech,  ver.  1 6  :  But  Abraliam  understood 
Ephron,  and  Abraham  weighed  to  Ephron  the  money,  tvhich  he  had 
stated  in  the  audience  oj  the  sons  of  Heth :  four  hundred  shelccls 
of  silver  current  with  the  merchant.  The  mercantile  expression 
nnisp  "iD'y  exactly  corresponds  with  1>U-  qui  jpeut  passer,  ho7ine 
d,  recevoir  frequent  upon  coins,  DMZ.  xxxiii.  356   (comp.  also 

•.■^mxA!  current  coins,  from  J»<:U  to  trade  together,  to  do  busi- 
ness). Jerome  translates,  probata;  mondce  puhlicm.  Money 
coined  and  certified  by  authority  did  not  as  yet  exist,  but 
even  then  merchants  may  have  furnished  the  bars  of  gold  and 
silver  with  a  mark  to  signify  that  they  were  of  full  weight, 
as  we  are  told  of  the  Phenicians  {Rhetor.  Gr.  xiii.  p.  180, 
ed.  Aid.),  that  they  irpMroi  '^apaKrfjpa  e/daWov  upon  weighed 
metal.  The  normal  weight  of  the  heavy  (sacred  or  royal) 
shekel  (-'i^^'  from  -'i?'^'  p)cnderc)  amounted  according  to  Jewish 
tradition  to  3  2  0  medium  barleycorns,  with  which  the  weight  of 
the  Maccabsean  shekel  (about  218  English  grains,  and  so  a  little 
short  of  the  half-ounce  avoirdupois)  tolerably  agrees.  If  with 
Cavedoni,  Numismatica  biblica  1850,  we  admit  that  the  shekel 
is  to  be  reckoned  as  in  the  Mosaic  law  and  in  subsequent  com- 
merce, the  price  would  be  high  (nearly  £525),  which  the  Eabbis 
explain  as  the  result  of  Ephron's  covetousness  (see  Zunz,  Ziir 
Ziteratur,  p.  138),  but  still  not  be  incredible.     For  Jacob's 


GENESIS  XXIII.  17-20.  101 

piece  of  ground  at  Shechem  cost  one  Imndred  i^^'t^'i?,  xxxiii.  19, 
and  the  site  upon  which  Samaria  was  built  two  123  of  silver, 
1  Kings  xvi.  24,  i.e.  six  hundred  heavy  shekels.  Close  of  the 
transaction,  vv.  17—20  :  So  the  field  of  Ephron  which  was  in 
,  Machpelah,  which  was  hefore  Ilamre,  the  field  and  the  cave  therein 
and  all  the  trees  that  were  in  the  fidd,  that  were  in  its  border 
round  about,  remained  to  Abraham  as  a  pitrchascd  possession  in 
the  presence  of  the  sons  of  Ilcth,  according  as  each  ivent  into 
the  gate  of  his  city.  And  after  this  Abrahayn  buried  Sarah  his 
wife  in  the  cave  of  the  field  of  Machpclah,  which  is  before  Mamre : 
the  same  is  Hebron,  in  tlie  land  of  Canaan.  And  so  the  field 
and  tlie  cave  therein  remained  to  Abraham  as  a  burying  2}lctce 
on  the  'part  of  the  sons  of  Hcth.  The  Silluh  divides  the  one 
connected  sentence  vv.  17,  18,  into  two,  as  e.g.  also  Ex. 
vi.  28,  29,  Num.  xxxii.  3,  4  (see  Arnheim,  Hcbr.  Grammatik, 
§  254,  because  it  would  have  been  too  long  if  inter- 
punctuated  as  one).  Di^Jl  of  remaining  as  a  lawful  possession, 
as  at  Lev.  xxv.  30,  xxvii.  19.  "^^spp  is  throughout  not  the 
name  of  the  cave,  but  of  the  district  in  which  was  the  field 
with  the  cave  in  it.  The  occasion  of  its  being  so  called  is 
obscure.  A  Cod.  Focock.  in  Kennicott  and  a  Spanish  one 
offered  for  sale  at  the  Viennese  Universal  Exhibition  1882 
by  Prof.  Garcia  Blanco  of  Madrid,  have  at  ver.  9  the  reading 
TV^ipr}  ni]}0^  certainly  an  error  of  transcription,  but  nevertheless 
a  remarkable  curiosity. 

The  first  lauded  property  of  the  patriarchs  was  a  grave. 
Such  was  the  sole  possession  which  they  purchased  from  the 
world,  and  the  only  permanent  one  they  found  here  below. 
Abraham  buys  a  grave  in  Canaan;  he  buys  and  will  not 
accept  it  as  a  gift,  that  he  may  not  appear  to  take  from  man 
what  God  has  promised  to  give  him  (Iren.  xxxii.  2).  And 
what  he  purchases  is  a  grave,  just  because  he  will  rest  when 
dead  in  the  land  in  which  as  a  living  man  he  as  yet  has 
no  possession,  because  he  is  certain  through  faith  that  the 
promise  cannot  deceive.     In  virtue   of   that  promise,  which 


102  GENESIS  XXIII.  17-20. 

will  be  fulfilled  to  his  posterity,  the  land  of  Canaan  is  holy 
ground.  In  this  grave  were  Abraham  and  Sarah,  Isaac  and 
Eebekah  buried,  there  Jacob  buried  Leah,  there  did  Jacob 
desire  to  rest  after  death,  and  there  was  his  corpse  actually 
laid.  There  rested  the  ancestors  and  ancestresses  of  the  tribes 
of  Israel,^  confessors  even  in  death  of  faith  in  the  promise. 
This  burying  place  became  the  2JU')ictum  scdicns  of  the  promised 
possession  of  the  land.  It  is  with  a  purpose  that  its 
honourable  acquisition  for  the  ancestors  of  Israel  is  so  accu- 
rately described.  It  was  the  tie  which  continued  to  bind  the 
descendants  of  Abraham  in  Egypt  to  the  Land  of  Promise :  it 
magnetically  attracted  their  aspirations  thither,  and  when  they 
entered  Canaan  they  were  to  know  where  the  ashes  of  their 
fathers  were  reposing,  and  that  they  were  themselves  called 
to  inherit  the  promise,  trusting  in  which  their  fathers  had 
been  buried  in  Canaan. 

When  the  city  of  Hebron  is  now  approached  from  the 
north  by  the  high  road,  the  supposed  district  of  Mamre  passed, 
and  the  last  mountain  peak  gone  round,  the  view  suddenly 
opens  of  the  deep-lying  valley  of  Hebron  ( Wady-cl-Chaltl),  in  the 
foreground  of  which  the  city  spreads  out  to  the  right,  and  the 
fortified  and  palatial  buildings  of  the  mosque  of  Ibrahim  with 
its  two  minarets  to  the  left.  This  Haram  (sanctuary)  with  its 
lofty  external  walls  of  not  less  than  from  fifty  to  sixty  feet 
high,  the  lower  part  of  which,  built  in  peculiar  pilaster  style  of 
colossal  blocks  of  stone,  belongs  to  the  most  ancient  remains 
of  buildings  in  Palestine,  conceals  beneath  the  floor  of  its 
interior  and  beneath  its  court  the  cave  of  ]\Iachpelah.  The 
visit  paid  by  the  Prince  of  AVales  and  his  suite  to  the  Haram 
April  7,  1862,  placed  it  beyond  doubt  that  the  shrines  of  the 
patriarchs,  which  are  found  variously  adorned  in  recesses  in 
the  walls,  are  only  Cenotaphs.  At  the  corner  of  the  shrine 
of  Abraham  how^ever  is  a  circular  opening,  about  8  inches  in 

1  According  to  Joseplius  [Ant.  ii.  8.  2,  Bell.  iv.  9.  7),  tlie  eleven  patriarchs 
of  the  tribes,  whose  graves  (including  Joseph's)  another  legend  transports  to 
Sichem.     On  Acts  vii.  16,  see  my  Hebr.  N.  T. 


GENESIS  XXIV.  103 

diameter,  with  an  edge  built  up  a  foot  high  ending  in  a  deep 
obscure  space,  and  through  which  a  burning  lamp  is  usually  let 
down  into  the  burying  place  by  means  of  a  chain.  The  Crown 
Prince  of  Prussia  and  Capt.  v.  Jasmund  looked  down  into  it 
Nov.  18G9,  long  enough  to  let  them  perceive  all  the  details 
of  this  space  measuring  40  feet  square.  It  appeared  empty, 
the  floor  polished  by  hand,  the  walls  formed  from  the  rock 
itself  without  masonry,  and  at  the  one  end  of  the  cave  was 
seen  a  low  grated  opening,  which  seemed  to  lead  to  a  second 
cave  (LXX.  npSDO  to  a-TryjXaiov  rb  BlttXovv).  The  Haram,  a 
building  consisting  of  parts  of  very  different  dates  (see 
Baedeker's  Palestine,  2nd  edit.  p.  172  sq.),  lies  on  the  south- 
western slope  of  the  mountain  Gedhirc.  But  the  cave,  accord- 
ing to  vv.  17-19,  lay  ""JS^  or  "'^^■^J?  of  Mamre,  i.e.  opposite 
Mamre,  and  indeed  in  a  southerly  direction  (comp.  Josh, 
xviii.  14).  Hence,  as  Consul  Eosen  rightly  infers,  Mamre 
must  have  lain  on  the  eastern  declivity  of  the  height  Eumeidi, 
a  spur  of  the  Kuppe  Natr  (recalling  "ipV)  near  to  the  remark- 
able well  'Ain  el-'Gedid.  The  terebinths  of  the  patriarchal 
time  have  indeed  disappeared,  but  these  were  pinnn  xiii.  1 8  ; 
and  though  the  town  was  formerly  of  greater  extent  than  at 
present,  yet  its  situation  must  not  be  transposed  to  such  a 
distance  as  by  the  tradition  concerning  Mamre  (see  on 
ch.  xiii.  towards  the  end). 


THE  MARRIAGE  OF  ISAAC,  CH.  XXIV. 

The  fourth  portion  (ch.  xxiv.)  relates  a  further  arrangement 
on  the  part  of  Abraham,  in  view  of  his  own  death,  viz.  the 
marriage  of  Isaac,  which  was  prepared  for  both  by  the  glance 
at  the  Xahorite  descent  of  Picbekah,  xxii.  20-24  (./),  and  the 
blank  left  in  Abraham's  family  by  the  departure  of  Sarah, 
ch.  xxiii.  {Q).  It  is  self-intelligible  that  the  statement,  that 
Isaac  married  a  wife  of  his  father's  Aramaic  kindred,  would 
not  be  omitted  in  either  of  the  three  chief  sources  of  Genesis. 


104  GENESIS  XXIV.  1-8. 

It  is  evidently  Q  wlio  expressly  makes  it  xxv.  20,  and  pro- 
bably U  who  mentions  Eebekah's  nurse  by  name  and  honours 
her  memory,  xxxv.  8.  But  nowhere  did  the  history  of  this 
marriage  offer  itself  in  such  detail  to  the  redactor  as  in  J; 
for  it  is  to  him  that  we  are  indebted  for  the  charming  idyll, 
the  captivatiug  picture  of  the  wooing  and  bringing  home  of 
Eebekah  in  ch.  xxiv.  Everything  here  bears  the  mark  of  his 
pen :  God  is  called  mn>,  the  birthplace  of  Eebekah  Dp.n?  ai« 
(not  D">^?  P.?  as  in  Q,  e.g.  xxv.  20),  the  sum  of  all  good, 
^^^).  ■'?r'  (vv.  27,  49,  comjp.  xxxii.  11,  xlvii.  29).  Towards 
the  end  are  found  a  few  words  which  seem  to  lead  to  E, 
such  as  3J3n  px  ver.  62  (comp.  xx.  1,  elsewhere  only 
Num.  xiii.  29,  Josh.  xv.  19,  Judg.  i.  15),  and  nr^n  ver.  65 
(comp.  only  again  xxxvii.  19);  but  vv.  62-65  cannot  be 
referred  to  JE,  without  admitting  that  U  relates  the  story 
as  fully  as  J,  which  is  improbable.  We  take  ch.  xxiv.  as  the 
sole  work  of  J.  The  recapitulation  of  the  servant  falls  under 
the  same  point  of  sight  as  Pharaoh's  recapitulation  of  his  two 
dreams — ancient  epic  delights  in  such  repetitions.  The  ethic 
and  psychologic  sentiment  of  this  history  has  been  appre- 
ciated by  no  one  so  much  as  by  F.  C.  v.  Moser  in  his  Doctor 
Leiclemit, 

It  begins,  ver.  1 :  Abraham  was  now  an  old  man,  vjell 
stricken  in  age,  and  Jahveh  had  blessed  Abraham  in  every- 
thing. His  great  age  (the  same  expression  as  xviii.  11,  /) 
obliged  him,  and  his  prosperity  encouraged  him,  to  think  of 
Isaac's  marrying  and  of  the  transmission  of  his  blessing  to 
his  remoter  descendants,  vv.  2—8 :  Then  Abraham  said  to  his 
servant,  the  eldest  of  his  house,  ivho  ruled  over  all  that  was  his : 
Put  thy  hand,  I  'pray  thee,  under  my  thigh.  And  I  ivill  make 
thee  swear  by  Jahveh,  the  God  of  heaven  and  the  God  of  earth, 
that  thou  take  not  a  wife  for  my  son  of  the  daughters  of  the 
Canaanite,  in  ivhose  neighbourhood  I  dwell.  But  to  my  coiintry 
and  to  my  home  shall  thou  go  and  take  a  wife  for  my  son 
Isaac.     And  his  servant  said  to  him  :  Fei'haps  the  woman  ivill 


GENESIS  XXIV.  2-8.  105 

not  he  willing  to  follow  me  into  this  land — must  I  then  take 
hack  thy  son  into  the  land  whence  thou  earnest  ?  And  Ahraham 
said  unto  him :  Bcivare  that  thou  take  not  lack  my  son  thither. 
Jahveh,  the  God  of  heaven,  who  took  mc  away  from  my  failier's 
house  and  from  my  oivn  country,  and  who  spake  to  me  and 
swore  to  me,  saying :  To  thy  seed  will  I  give  this  land.  He 
will  send  His  angel  Icfore  thee,  and  thou  shall  take  a  wife  for 
my  son  from  thence.  But  if  the  woman  he  not  willing  to  follow 
thee,  then  art  thou  free  of  this  my  oath,  only  thou  shall  not  take 
hack  my  son  thither.  Parallels  to  this  in  both  style  and 
matter  from  J,  are  the  mode  of  swearing,  xlix.  29 ;  the 
reference  to  God  as  God  of  heaven  and  earth,  xiv.  19,  22, 
••Ji'JDn  n"i32  vv.  3,  37  (not  )y]D  n"i33  xxviii.  1,  6,  8,  xxxvi  2,  Q) ; 
••inx  and  Tn^lD  vv.  4,  7,  like  xii.  1,  xxxi.  3,  xxxii.  10. 
Isaac's  wife  must  be  one  corresponding  with  his  Divine  call- 
ing, and  therefore  not  one  of  the  daughters  of  the  Canaanite 
(comp.  on  the  matter,  Ex.  xxiv.  16,  Deut.  vii,  3  sq.),  though 
such  a  marriage,  externally  regarded,  opened  up  all  manner  of 
favourable  prospects.  ISTor  must  Isaac  return  to  Arama^a, 
whence  the  God  of  redemption  brought  Abraham,  he  is  not 
to  leave  the  district  into  which  God  has  transposed  his 
father  and  himself;  on  the  contrary,  his  future  wife  must 
come  to  it.  But  if  none  can  be  found,  or  if  the  one  found 
is  unwilling  to  leave  her  home  ?  About  this  Abraham  is  not 
anxious.  He  leaves  the  future  of  his  son  absolutely  to  the 
direction  of  Jahveh,  and  appoints  the  eldest  retainer  of  his 
house  to  be  the  wooer — certainly  the  Eliezer  mentioned 
XV.  2  {E),  who,  since  sixty  years  have  now  elapsed,  was 
himself  an  old  man.  He  is  to  take  a  so-called  bodily  oath, 
by  putting  his  hand  under  Abraham's  thigh.  By  placing  his 
hand  IT"  nnn  of  Abraham,  he  binds  himself  upon  the  basis 
of  the  covenant  of  circumcision.  If  the  woman  will  not 
follow   him,  the  wooer,  to  the  land  of  promise,  he  shall  be 

released  (^[53  Niph),  free  or  quit  CiPJ  like  ^  DMZ.  xxii.  129) 


106  GENESIS  XXIY    9-14. 

from  the  obligation  imposed  on  liim  by  his  oath  (njJintJ',  for 
which    ver.    41    "^/^    =   Arab,    alwa,  with  unchangeable   a, 

comp.  ^\  conj.  iv.  from  ^\  to  swear).     The  servant  swears, 

sets  out  upon  his  journey,  and  on  his  arrival  prays  for  God's 
decision,  vv.  9— 14  :  Then  the  servant  put  his  hand  under  the 
thigh  of  his  master  Abraham  and  swore  to  him  concerning  this 
thing.  And  the  servant  took  ten  camels  of  the  camels  of  his 
master,  and  departed  with  all  hinds  of  precious  things  of  his 
master's  in  his  hand — he  arose  and  went  to  Aram  of  the  two 
rivers,  to  the  city  of  Nahor.  And  he  made  his  camels  kneel 
down  outside  the  city  hy  the  well  of  water  at  evening  time,  at 
the  time  when  the  water-drawers  come  out.  And  he  said: 
Jahveh,  God  of  my  master  Abraham,  let  it  happen  favourably 
for  me  this  day,  cmd  show  kindness  to  my  master  Abraham ! 
Behold,  I  stand  at  the  fountain  of  water,  and  the  daughters  of 
the  inhabitants  of  the  city  are  coming  out  to  draw  water.  Let 
it  then  thus  happen ;  the  damsel  to  whom  I  shall  say :  Let  doivn, 
I  pray  thee,  thy  pitcher  that  I  may  drink,  and  she  shall  say : 
Drink,  and  L  will  also  water  thy  camels — this  one  Thou  hast 
appointed  for  Thy  servant,  for  Isaac,  and  thereby  shall  I  knoio 
that  Thou  hast  shoived  kindness  to  my  master.  The  journey  of 
Hazael,  2  Kings  viii.  9,  was  similarly  supplied.  D)"]"?.,^.  I^l^ 
(ancient  Egyp.  Neheren,  Nehcrina,  Naharina)  is  the  country 
between  the  Euphrates  and  Tigris  (in  the  strict  sense  ex- 
clusive of  Babylonia),  called  since  Alexander  77  MecroTrorayu-ta, 
that  is,  Xvpia,  the  land  north  of  the  great  desert,  which  the 

Arabians  call  the  i>j ',:?-.      Tr\\>r\  means  here,  as  at  xxvii.  20, 

to  cause  to  meet,  to  let  happen,  viz.  what  one  has  in  mind. 
~i;'3n  (from  nr3,  to  shoot  forth,  to  shake  out,  of  the  fruit  of  the 
body,  therefore  one  not  long  since  born)  is  in  the  Pentateuch 
and  in  this  exclusively,  double-gendered.  ^I"^.}]^  is  written 
only  Deut.  xxii.  19,  everywhere  else  it  is  the  Keri  to  "ij?jn, 
which  is  pointed  as  fern.  iT'ain,  145  (LXX.  ■^Tol/xaaa<i),  is 
meant  of  pointing  out  by  means  of  an  act,  here  with  b  as 


GENESIS  XXIV.  15-21.  107 

appointed  fi)r  the  son  of  Abraham,  nn  does  not  refer  to  the 
maiden,  but  is  a  neutral  fem.  as  at  xv.  6,  8.  Guidance  of  her 
who  had  been  prayed  for,  vv.  15-21  :  And  it  came  to  pass: 
he  had  not  yet  ceased  speaking,  lo,  RcbclMh  came  forth,  who  was 
horn  to  Bethuel  the  son  of  Milcah,  the  wife  of  Nahor,  ivith  her 
jntchcr  on  her  shoulder.  And  the  damsel  was  very  fair  to 
look  on,  a  virgin,  and  no  man  had  knoivn  her — she  went  down 
to  the  fountain,  filled  her  pitcher  and  came  up.  And  the 
servant  ran  to  meet  her  and  said :  Let  me,  I  p)ray  thee,  drink 
a  little  icater  from  thy  pitcher.  And  she  said:  Drink,  my 
lord,  and  let  doion  qidckly  the  pitcher  upon  her  hand,  and 
gave  him  to  dj^ink.  And  ivhen  she  had  given  him  enoxigh 
to  drink,  she  said:  I  tvill  draw  also  for  thy  camels,  till  they 
have  drunk  enough.  And  she  quickly  cmp)tied  her  'pitcher  into 
the  trough  and  ran  again  to  the  well  to  draiv,  and  drew  for  all 
his  camels.  And  the  man  locked  ivonderingly  at  her,  holding 
his  peace,  to  know  whether  Jahveh  had  prospered  his  journey 
or  not.  The  name  "^i^^i  means  a  tie,  a  band  (Lat.  copula),  i.e. 
a  coUar  for  coupling  to  and  coupling  together.  A  maiden 
is  called  npinn  (Assyr.  hatultic,  fem.  of  batnlu,  a  youth), 
certainly  from  ?n2  JJj  to  separate,  reflective  tdbattcda,  to 
keep  oneself  in  modest  consecrated  retirement,  from  her 
characteristic  of  maidenly  remoteness  from  marriage,  and  'i^py 

(ver.  43),  from  rhv  =  *ii-  to  be  marriageable,  \/  Ji   to  swell, 

from  the  characteristic  of  nearness  to  marriage  by  reason  of 
maturity.  The  Talmud  (Jehamoth  61h)  is  correct  in  infening 
from  the  addition  nj?T_  xS  L*'"'X1,  16a,  that  nhni  does  not  in 
itself  imply  the  characteristic  of  virgin  purity,  but  only  states 
age  and  condition  (niyj  n^N  nfjinn  ps*)-  The  servant  beholds 
with  astonishment,  and  regards  with  investigation  the  quick 
and  welcome  alacrity  of  the  maiden  to  serve  him  and  to 
anticipate  his  wants.  Knobel  and  Dillmann  take  nsnrn  as 
equivalent  in  meaning  to  nync'n,  but  the  analogy  of  C?^ir,L"n 
and  'l'?^'?  rather  favours  the   derivation    from  nst'  desolate, 


108  GENESIS  XXIV.  22-27. 

then  also  like  the  Aramaic  ^^'^\  ^>^^,  i^H^p,  to  be  confused, 
to  wonder ;  on  the  connective  form  of  the  participle  before  p 
comp.  Ps.  Ixiv.  9.  The  maiden  answers  perfectly  to  the  moral 
test,  she  indefatigably  fetches  water  from  the  deep  well,  to 
which,  according  to  ver.  16,  she  went  down  and  fetched  water 
for  the  man  and  his  cattle ;  hence  it  was  a  spring  enclosed  by 
a  wall  with  steps  leading  down  to  it  (Burckhardt,  Syrien, 
p.  232),  and  is  therefore  alternately  called  Ci'''2n  "is^3  and 
D^DH  pj? ;  note  how  T\r\U,  which  has  itself  no  Hiphil,  borrows 
one  from  npc'.  Preliminary  requital  and  inquiry,  vv.  22,  23  : 
And  it  came  to  pass  after  the  camels  had  drunh  enough, 
then  the  man  took  a  gold  nose-ring,  a  half  shekel  in  locight ; 
and  two  Iracclcts  for  her  hands  ten  shekels  of  gold  in 
weight.  Then  he  said :  TVJiose  daughter  art  thou  ?  tell  me, 
I  pray  thee !  Is  there  room  in  thy  father's  house  to  lodge 
us  in?  He  makes  her  a  present  of  a  nose-ring  (ver.  22,  comp. 
47,  Ezek.  xvi.  12,  and  on  the  other  hand  Gen.  xxxv.  4, 
where  du  means  an  ear-ring)  weighing  a  Vpji,  i.e.  half  a  shekel 
of  gold,  no  very  great  weight  in  itself,  but  great  for  this 
ornament,  which  was  fastened  to  one  of  the  nostrils.  The 
nose-ring  was  in  use  from  Egypt  to  India,  and  is  still  so  among 
the  Arabs  as  a  betrothal  gift.  He  also  gave  her  a  pair  of 
bracelets  of  ten  shekels  of  gold.  S^T  is  the  ace.  of  nearer 
definition  to  nib'jj  (erg.  bi)^),  like  ^y^  in  njc'  nsp,  xvii.  17, 
xxiii.  1.  Answer  of  the  maiden,  vv.  24,  25  :  A7id  she  said  to 
him :  I  am  the  daughter  of  Bcthuel,  the  son  of  Milcah,  ivhom 
she  lore  to  Nahor.  And  she  said  farther  to  him :  We  have  both 
straw  and  provender  enough,  also  room  to  lodge  in.  She  calls 
herself,  with  a  circumstantiality  which  betrays  self-conscious- 
ness, the  daughter  of  Bethuel,  the  son  of  Milcah  (comp.  on  the 
inverted  position  of  the  genit.  apposition,  ii.  195,  xiv.  12)  the 
wife  of  Nahor,  and  represents  her  home  in  as  hospitable  a 
light  as  possible.  The  pious  servant  first  of  all  gives  thanks 
to  God,  vv.  26,  27  :  And  the  man  lowed  and  fell  down  hefore 
Jahveh.      And  he   said:  Blessed  he  Jahveh,   the   God   of  my 


GENESIS  XXIV.  28-33.  109 

master  Ahraliam,  who  has  not  withdrawn  His  mercy  and  truth 
from  my  master — me,  yea  me  has  Jahvch  led  hj  the  right  ivay  to 
the  house  of  my  masters  hrothcr.  Bowing  (viz.  of  the  head,  *iP1i^) 
and  falling  down  appear  in  combination  at  xliii.  28  {J)  also. 
non  is  free  love,  and  riox  truth,  sincerity,  faithfulness,  binding 
itself  to  what  love  has  promised.  "'3i>5  stands  as  nom.  ahs. 
eniphaticall)%  first  like  nnx  xlix.  8,  Deut.  xviii.  14.  T}/}!^  is,  as 
ver.  4^  shows  (comp.  on  Job  xxxi.  7),  equal  to,  by  the  right  way. 
Eebekah's  intelligence  and  its  impression  upon  Laban,  vv. 
28—31  :  And  the  maiden  ran  and  told  her  mothers  house  aceord- 
ing  to  these  tilings.  And  Rehehah  had  a  hrotlicr,  of  the  name  of 
Lahan,  and  Laban  ran  to  the  man  outside  at  the  fountain.  And 
it  came  to  pass,  when  he  saw  the  nose-ring  and  the  bracelets  on  the 
hands  of  his  sister,  and  when  he  heard  the  loords  of  Rebehah  his 
sister  saying :  Thus  spahe  the  man  to  me,  then  he  came  to  the 
man,  and  lo,  he  was  standing  by  the  camels  at  the  fountain.  And 
he  said :  Come  in,  thou  blessed  of  Jahvch,  wherefore  standest  thou 
v:ithout  ?  and  I,  I  have  made  room  in  the  house,  and  a  place  for 
the  camels.  As  the  text  stands,  the  mood  of  the  sequence 
^7'.L  oOb,  declares  the  effect  from  the  cause  by  a  retrogressive 
movement  of  thought,  but  probably  the  sentence :  and  Laban 
ran  to  the  man  outside  at  the  fountain,  has  been  removed  from 
its  original  place  before  ^^^,'!!,  30&  (Ilg.  Dillm.).  Instead  of  nkna 
the  Samaritan  has  ins"i3 ;  this  is  not  necessary  as  far  as  the 
style  is  concerned.  "ipV  stands  briefly  for  "loj?  Nin,  see  on  Ps. 
vii.  10.  The  entrance  and  zeal  of  the  servant,  vv.  32,  33: 
And  the  man  came  into  the  house,  and  lie  unloaded  the  camels 
and  gave  straw  and  provender  to  the  camels,  and  water  to  ivash 
Ids  feet  and  the  men's  feet  that  were  with  him.  And  meat  was 
set  before  him  to  eat,  but  he  said  :  I  will  not  eat  till  I  have  said 
what  is  incumbent  on  me.  And  he  said  :  Speak  on  !  In  ver. 
32  Laban  is  the  subject  to  nris;"i  and  iJ^il],  the  change  of  sub- 
ject disappears  if  we  read  N3*l  (Jerome  introduxit),  but  then 
c^'xr.-nx  might  be  expected.  The  object  of  his  journey  is 
asked   by    no    one,   for  this   would    be   contrary   to   Eastern 


110  GENESIS  XXIV.  S4-49. 

hospitality,  ■wliich  does  not  permit  such  a  question  at  least 
till  after  a  meal.  The  Kcri  runs  passively  Q^'l  (there  was 
placed),  not  D't^'i'l,  as  mistakenly  in  recent  editions — the  Chethib 
is  Db'''*l  (one  placed,  like  1.  26,  comp.  Isa.  viii.  4),  to  be  read 
as  written,  1.  26,  from  Db\  which  is  not  authenticated  else- 
where, but  verbs  ''S^  like  2D\  ']b\  ^'y  (=ti'i3,  to  be  ashamed),  offer 
metaplastic  forms.  The  servant  will  eat  nothing  till  he  has 
said  what  is  incumbent  on  him  to  say.  The  subject  to  "i^^^^! 
33&  is  Laban,  who  represents  the  family  of  Bethuel.  The 
two  verses  32,  33  are  a  specimen  of  the  carelessness  of  the 
Oriental  style,  which  leaves  only  too  much  to  be  supplied  by  the 
reader,  vv.  34-49  :  And  Jie  said :  I  am  the  servant  of  Abraham. 
And  Jahveh  has  abundantly  blessed  my  master,  so  that  he  has 
become  great,  and  has  given  him  shcejy  and  oxen,  and  silver  and 
gold,  and  servants  and  maidens,  and  camels  and  asses.  And 
Sarah,  my  masters  wife,  bare  my  master  a  son  after  she  was 
old,  and  he  has  given  him  all  that  was  his.  And  my  master 
made  me  swear  thus :  Thou  shall  not  taJce  a  wife  for  my  son 
of  the  daughters  of  the  Canaanite,  in  ivhose  land  I  dwell.  Nay, 
to  my  father  s  house  shall  thou  go,  and  to  my  kindred,  and  take 
a  wife  for  my  son.  And  I  said  to  my  master :  Perhaps  the 
woman  will  not  follow  me.  Then  he  said  to  me  :  Jahveh,  before 
whom  I  have  walked,  will  send  His  angel  with  thee,  and  will 
prosper  thy  way,  that  thou  mayest  take  a  wife  for  my  son 
from  my  kindred  and  from  my  father's  house.  Then  shall  thou 
be  clear  of  my  oath,  if  thou  go  hence  to  my  kindred ;  and  if 
they  loill  not  give  thee,  thou  shall  be  clear  of  my  oath.  So 
I  came  this  day  to  the  fountain  and  said :  Oh  Jahveh,  God  of 
my  master  Abraham :  Oh  that  thou  now  mayest  prosper  tKe  vmy 
that  I  go.  Behold,  I  stand  by  the  fountain  of  water,  and  let  it 
happen:  the  maiden  who  comes  out  to  drav),  and  I  say  to  her: 
Give  me,  I  pray  thee^  a  little  water  to  drink  from  thy  pitcher, 
and  sJie  says  to  me,  Both  drink  thou  and  I  will  draw  for  thy 
camels — let  her  be  the  wife  whom  Jahveh  has  appointed  for  my 
nmster's  son.     I  had  not  yet  ceased  to  speak  in  my  heart,  when 


GENESIS  XXIV.  50,  51.  Ill 

lo,  EebcTcdh  came  out  uith  the  intchcr  upon  her  shoulder  and 
went  down  to  the  ivcll  and  drew,  and  I  said  to  her :  Give  mc, 
I  fray  thee,  to  drink!     Then  she  hastened  and  took  her  pitcher 
down  from  her,  and  said  :  Drink,  and  I  will  give  drink  to  thy 
camels  also;  and  I  drank,  and  she  gave  drink  to  the  camels  also. 
Then  I  asked  her  and  said :    Whose  daughter  art  thou  ?     SJie 
said :   TJie  daughter  of  Bcthuel,  the  son  of  Nahor,  whom  Milcah 
hare  to   him.      Tlien  I  imt  the  ring  upon  her  nose,  and  the 
bracelets  upon  her  hands.     And  I  lowed  myself  and  fell  down 
hefore  Jahveh,  and  Messed  Jahvch  the  God  of  my  master  Abraham, 
who  had  led  me  by  the  right  way,  to  take  the  daughter  of  my 
master's  brother  for  his  son.     And  now,  if  ye  be  willing  to  show 
kindness  and  truth  to  my  master,  tell  me ;  bid  if  not,  tell  me, 
that  I  may  turn  to  the  right  hand  or  to  the  left.     The  form  of 
the  oath  is  purposely  omitted  at  ver.  37.     When  the  servant 
says,  36&,  that  Abraham  has  given  all  that  he  has  to  Isaac, 
this  is  meant  of  his  resolution  to  do  so  (comp.  Isa.  liii.  9), 
which  is   carried  into  execution,  xxv.  5.      The  nVdx   38a  is 
that  of  the   oath   (Ps.  cxxxi.  2,  Jer.  xxii.  6),  which  thence 
after  a  previous  denial  means,  "  no,  but,"  Ezek.  iii.  6  (comp. 
Mark   iv.    22,    according  to   the  reading    eav  ft?)   ^avepwOy), 
stronger  than  "QN  ""S  (the  reading  of  the  Samar.).    xr'^L^'^■n^♦  42&, 
means  "  if  thou  really  art,  as  I  wish,"  etc.,  comp.  ^'J"2S  xviii.  3 
(see  there),     i^/ ''^*  45a,  as  at  viii.  21 — he  had  then  brought 
his  desire  before  God  with   the  silent    voice    of    the   heart. 
"  Brother,"  48&,  is  more  accurately  brother's  son,  as  at  xiv.  16, 
xxix.  12.     In  ver.  49,  npNl  Tpn  stands  for  the  manifestation  of 
kindness  and  the  faithful  undissimulating  dealing  of  men  with 
each  other.     The  consent,  vv.  50,  51  :   Tlien  ansuxrcd  Laban 
and  Bcthuel,  and  said:  From  Jahveh  does  this  thing  proceed, 
we  cannot  say  unto  thee  evil  or  good.    Behold,  JRcbckah  is  at  thy 
disposal,  take  her  and  go,  and  let  her  be  a  wife  to  thy  masters 
son,  as  Jahveh  has  spoken.     Eebekah  had  not  yet  seen  the  man 
for  whom  she  was  wooed,  neither  is  she  asked  whether  she  is 
willing  to  be  his.     Nor  is  it  even  her  father,  but  her  brother, 


112  GENESIS  XXIV.  62-58. 

who  has  the  first  word  respecting  her.  This  is  the  result  of 
polygamy;  in  the  history  of  Dinah  also,  it  is  the  brothers  who 
act  independently  of  the  father;  "  not  evil  or  good  "  (here  as  at 
xxxi.  24)  is  equivalent  to  "absolutely  nothing,"  and  ""isb,  to 
be  some  one's  (here  as  at  xiii.  9,  xx.  15),  is  equal  to  being  at 
his  free  disposal.  They  give  Eebehah  to  him,  with  the 
acknowledgment  that  Dominus  locutus  est.  The  servant  then 
thanks  God  for  the  issue  of  his  wooing,  and  now  empties  before 
them  the  far  from  exhausted  store  of  presents  which  he  had 
brought  with  him,  vv.  52,  53  :  And  it  came  to  pass,  when 
the  servant  of  Abraham  heard  their  words,  he  fell  on  the  earth 
hefore  Jaliveh.  And  the  servant  brought  forth  silver  vessels 
and  gold  vessels  and  garments,  and  gave  them  to  Rehehah, 
and  he  gave  costly  ^^^^cseiits  to  her  brother  and  to  her  mother. 
The  first  gifts  are  1^0  (xxxiv.  12)  of  the  bridegroom  for  the 
confirmation  of  the  betrothal,  the  so-called  eSva  or  eeSva  in 

Homer,  and  the  others  (ni2^ip  from  njn  a:^^   to  be    precious, 

costly,  Lth.:  jewels,  which  is  not  unfitting,  especially  2  Chron. 
xxi.  3)  come  under  the  point  of  view  of  the  "^[P  to  be  paid  to 
the  relatives  of  the  bride  (xxxiv.  12),  see  Eiehm's  RW.  under 
Uhe,  §  4.  The  servant  presses  for  departure,  vv.  54-58: 
The7i  they  ate  and  drank,  he  and  the  mer^  who  were  with  him, 
and  spent  the  night,  and  tvhen  he  rose  up  in  the  morning  he 
said :  Send  me  away  to  my  master.  And  her  brother  and  her 
mother  said :  Let  the  maiden  stay  with  us  a  few  days,  perhaps 
ten,  then  let  her  dejjart.  But  he  said  to  thern^ :  Detain  me  not, 
since  Jahveh  has  prospered  my  way,  send  me  away  that  I  may 
go  to  my  master.  They  said :  We  will  call  the  maiden  and 
inquire  at  her  mouth.  And  they  called  Eebehah  and  said  to 
her :  Wilt  thou  go  with  this  man  ?  And  she  said :  I  ivill  go. 
The  statement  of  time  '^S'OV  ix  0""^^  means  some  days  (as  at  Isa. 
Ixv.  20,  elsewhere:  a  long  time,  iv.  3,  xl.  4),  or  even  (or 
rather)  ten  (a  decade  of  days).  The  Samar.  has  B'ln  "IX  D^tt\ 
Eebekah's  bashful  but    decided  brief  answer  ^^^  settles  the 


GENESIS  XXIY.  5fi-G5.  113 

immediate  commencement  of  the  journey.  The  dismissal^ 
vv.  59-Gl  :  Then  they  sent  away  Behehah  their  sister  and  her 
nurse,  and  Abrahams  servant  and  his  people.  And  they  Messed 
Ecbekah  and  said  to  her :  Our  sister,  heeome  thou  thousaiids  of 
myriads,  and  may  thy  seed  possess  the  gate  of  their  enemies  ! 
And  Rehehah  arose  and  her  maids,  and  rode  vpon  the  camels  and 
follovxd  the  man ;  so  the  servant  took  Rchekah  and  went  auny. 
cnhx  npniTiN*  is  said  according  to  the  rule  a  potiori,  the 
rektiou  to  Laban  being  generalized.  The  nurse  (Deborah, 
XXXV.  8)  remained,  according  to  ancient  custom  (in  Homer  also), 
a  member  of  the  family  and  the  immediate  attendant  upon 
her  former  nursling.  The  blessing,  with  which  Eebekah  is 
dismissed,  proceeds  from  the  frame  of  mind  to  which  the 
i'amily  of  Xahor  had  been  raised  by  intercourse  with  the 
servant  of  Abraham.  The  Talmudic  tractate  nba  begins  by 
drawing  from  our  passage,  in  agreement  with  Euth  iv.  11  sq., 
the  conclusion,  that  "  a  bride,  whether  a  virgin  or  a  widow, 
witliout  a  previous  blessing  is  interdicted  to  her  husband  like 
one  unclean."  ^^''nhxi  has  Zakeph  gaclol,  which  always  stands 
alone  without  a  servant,  and  is  less  separative  than  the  pre- 
ceding   Zakeph   katon  (nb).     The  imperative  "'IH   is  vocalized 

like  ''.n  Ezek.  xvi.  6.  The  combination  n33-i  ^pW  is  like  ""^^ 
rs  Ex.  xxxii.  28,  and  nj?  ni33"!  Ps.  iii.  7  (Ges.  §  120.  2); 
the  genitive  is  a  generic  designation  of  what  is  enume- 
rated. "With  riN  between  the  vocative  and  imperative, 
comp.  Jer.  ii.  31  ;  the  pronoun  is  intended  with  the  distinct- 
ness which  is  expressed  in  the  vocative.  The  wish  60^* 
is  almost  identical  with  xxii.  17  («/).  There  we  have  V2\s*, 
here  the  poetical  VNpb,  as  also  ni^-i  is  the  older  and  more 
refined  word  for  i^l  (=ni3-)  =  n^an).  The  arrival  of  the 
travelling  company  and  the  first  meeting  of  the  betrothed, 
vv.  62-65  :  And  Isaac  was  just  coming  from  the  way  to  the  well 
Lahaj  Roi,  for  he  dwelt  in  the  land  of  the  south, — for  Isaac  had 

gone  out  into  the  field  towards  evening  to  indulge  in  his  thoughts, 
VOL.  II.  H 


114  GENESIS  XXIV.  62-G5. 

— and  he  lifted  up  his  eyes,  and  hehold,  there  were  camels  coming. 
And  Behekah  lifted  up  her  eyes  and  saw  Isaac,  and  she  alighted 
from  the  camel.  And  she  said  to  the  servant :  JMio  is  that 
man  ivho  is  coming  to  meet  us  in  the  field  ?  The  servant  said : 
It  is  my  master;  then  she  took  the  veil  and  covered  herself 
The  structure  of  the  sentence  vv.  62,  C3  is  clumsy:  first  a 
sentence  preparatory  to  the  main  fact  with  the  perfect  N3, 
then  an  explanatory  sentence  of  condition  with  3t?^'V  i^'in'i,  then 
following  this  sentence  of  condition  a  parenthetical  sentence 
more  nearly  explaining  this  accessory  fact  Na,  and  now  the 
main  fact  with  I';"'!?  Nb'*!.  It  is  assumed  that  Abraham  was 
then  still  dwelling  at  Beersheba,  xxii.  19,  south  of  which  lay 
Hagar's  well  in  the  well-watered  Wadi  cl-Miiweilih,  where 
Isaac  dwelt  after  the  death  of  Abraham,  xxv,  11.  Maimonides 
already  remarks,  that  it  is  here  purposely  not  said  "t^?30  Nii,^ 
because  it  would  then  appear  as  though  he  already  had  his 
dwelling  there.  It  cannot  however  be  meant  that  he  was 
just  returning  from  a  visit  to  Hagar's  well,  for  this  was  too 
far  distant  from  Beersheba  for  an  evening  walk  (G3a),  but 
that  he  was  coming  from  an  evening  walk  in  the  direction  of 
this  his  favourite  place,  a  place  hallowed  as  it  had  been  by  a 
manifestation  of  God:  Ni3p  =  NUpo  1  Kings  viii.  65,  comp. 
^^i37  XXXV.  16,  ^'^  Num.  xiii.  21.  It  was  in  the  twilight 
{pr\V  ni3D7,  as  it  began  to  be  evening,  comp.  Deut.  xxiii.  12, 
Ex.  xiv.  27)  that  he  went  into  the  open  air  D^'^*7,  to  meditate. 
So  most  ancient  translators,  taking  'j^-V'^O'V'?  Ps.  cxix.  148, 
either  in  the  meaning  meditari  (LXX.  Aq.  Symm.  Vulg.)  or 
directly  (comp.  Ps.  cii.  1)  orarc  (Talmud,  Targums  Sam.  Saad. 
Luth.  Kimchi,  Gr.  Yen.),  in  opposition  to  w^hich  Syr.  translates 

oA^m^nV  to  take  exercise,  as  though  it  were  t^vj?,  as 
Gesenius  desires  to  read.  This  is  one  of  the  passages  on  which 
the  obligation  of  the  Minchah-prayer  is  based.  Isaac  is  of 
a  quietly  enduring,  contemplative  disposition,  and  it  is  in  con- 

1  To  read  thus,  rejecting  the  NH  (de  Lagarde,  Olsh.),  is  an  old  proposal ;  see 
the  Ltmberger  Zeitschri/t  p^nn  Jahrg.  iii.  (1856)  p.  93. 


GENESIS  XXIV.  G6,  G7.  115 

formity  with  this  his  character  that  he  should  go  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Hagar's  well  (xvi,  13  sq.),  to  think  over  the  matter  of 
his  marriage  in  silent  soliloquy  before  the  Lord.  Here  the 
looks  of  those  who  were  betrothed  by  God's  guidance  meet. 
Rebekah  (according  to  Eastern  notions  of  courtesy  in  the 
presence  of  one  who  is  to  be  met  with  reverence)  quickly 
alights  from  her  camel  Qp^,  as  at  2  Kings  v.  21,  of  intentionally 
falling,  i.e.  swinging  oneself  down,  LXX.  KareTrrjBrjaep,  a  stronger 
word  for  this  manifestation  of  respect  than  TlJ;  1  Sam.  xxv. 
23,  and  13^  Josh.  xv.  18,  Targums  r!3"'3"inx,  she  bowed,  sank 
down,  let  herself  slip  off),  and  to  make  herself  certain,  asks 
the  name  of  the  man  (i^tpn  as  only  one  more,  xxxvii.  19)^ 
who  is  coming  towards  them ;  and  when  she  hears  that  it  is 
Isaac,  she  modestly  takes  her  veil.  ^''J/'V  (from  ^T^  (— c*J  to  lay 
together,  to  fold,  to  make  double  or  more)  is,  according  to 
Abenezra,  of  like  meaning  with  *T'*1")  (by  which  it  is  translated 
in  Targ.  Jer.),  and  the  latter  of  like  meaning  with  the  Arab. 

]j  ;  the  LXX.  translates  both  here  and  Cant.  v.  7  depia-rpov 
(Jer.  jmIHuvi),  a  light  summer  wrap  which  covers  the  body 
and  especially  the  head,  the  veil  or  hooded  inantle,  which  is 
mentioned  by  Tertullian,  dc  vclandis  virg.  ch.  17,  Jerome, 
ad  Eustoch.  ep.  22,  and  elsewhere,  as  an  Arabic  feminine 
garment  (see  Lagarde,  Semitica,  p.  24  sq.).  It  is  of  similar  kind 
with  the  white  linen  wrapping  shawl,  with  which  Syrian  women 
cover  themselves  out  of  doors  (j\}^)>  not  the  face-veil  which 

forms  a  separate  piece  of  clothing  («J;^) ;  for  this  muffling 
of  Moslem  women  is  a  later  custom,  which  Muhammed  bor- 
rowed from  the  court  of  the  Sassanidic.  Eebekah,  drawiug  her 
mantle  over  her  face,  covered  herself  (nupsit),  as  Sulamith  in 
Canticles,  who  as  a  bride  wears  the  bridal  veil  '"io>*.  Bringing 
home  of  the  bride,  vv.  66,  67 :  And  the  servant  told  Isaac  all 
the  tilings  that  lie  had  done.     And  Isaac  hrought  her  into  the 

^  la  the  Samaritan  usage  of  language  the  sense  of  brilliant  {illiistris)  is  com- 
bined with  n6n  (DMZ.  xxxix.  196). 


116  GENESIS  XXV.  1-11. 

tent  of  Sarah  Ids  mother,  and  he  took  Echel-ah  and  she  hecame 
his  wife,  and  he  loved  her  and  was  comforted  for  the  loss  of  his 
mother.  The  history  started  at  ver.  1  sqq.  from  Abraham,  but 
does  not  return  to  him  ;  we  do  not  however  miss  this  if  we  look 
at  XXV.  1—1 1,  in  which  c/certainly  has  a  share,  and  if  Abraham's 
remarriage  followed  the  marriage  of  Isaac.  In  cases  where 
the  widowed  father  remarries,  the  affection  of  the  son  cleaves 
the  more  ardently  to  the  deceased  mother,  iisx  m^b  npnsn  jg 
less  unusual  than  r^H^i^  Josh.  vii.  21  (both  times  with  Katepli 
instead  of  silent  Sheva,  comp.  n333  xiii.  14);  for  the  justification 
and  explanation  of  this  combination  of  the  determinate  substan- 
tive with  the  genitivally  conceived  proper  name,  see  Ges.  22  nd 
ed.  §  111.  2.  There  is  no  grammatical  necessity  for  regarding 
i?3K  nnb'  as  a  gloss  (Wellh.  Dillm,  Nold.),  and  the  assumption 
that  in  the  mind  of  the  narrator  of  ch.  xxiv.  Abraham  had  mean- 
time died,  is  not  so  certain  as  to  make  us  accept  the  notion 
that  V3K  ^inx  originally  stood  in  the  place  of  i»X  '^nx  (Wellh. 
Kuen.),  or  that  the  whole  sentence  67&  is  a  recent  addition 
(Dillm.).  With  this  "  after  his  mother,"  i.e.  after  he  had  lost 
her,  comp.  ""^SP,  "before  me,"  i.e.  before  I  came,  xxx.  30.  The 
grief  of  Isaac  for  the  loss  of  his  mother  was  alleviated,  when  a 
much  loved  wife  filled  up  the  void  made  by  the  death  of  Sarah. 

abeaham's  descendants  by  ketueah,  and  his  death, 

CH.  XXV.  1-11. 
(Parallel  with  1  Chron.  i.  32,  33.) 

A  fifth  portion,  xxv.  1-11,  relates  Abraham's  remarriage 
and  death,  partly  according  to  J,  partly  according  to  Q.  Vv. 
1-4  keep  to  the  manner  of  the  Jahvistic  element  of  the  ethno- 
graphical table  {lb''  for  T'^in,  and  the  summary  4&  quite  like 
X.  29&)  ;  m^  and  pT  are  traced  back  otherwise  than  in  Q 
X.  7.  In  5-7  this  genealogical  portion  is  continued.  In 
ver.  5  we  recognise  the  autlior  of  xxiv.  36.  On  the  other 
hand,  7-1  la  bears  as  distinctly  as  possible  the  impress  of  Q, 


GENESIS  XXV.  1.  117 

■\vlio  also  refers  in  xlix.  31  sq.  to  what  is  here  related, 
nn  ''i3,  which  occurs  eight  times  in  eh.  xxiii.,  and  besides  in 
XXV.  10,  xlix,  32  (for  which  J  nses  the  collective  ''^Hl'),  is 
peculiar  to  him.  In  11Z>  (the  dwelling  of  Isaac  at  Lahaj  Eoi) 
ver.  6  proceeds  in  accordance  with  xxiv.  67.  The  picture 
thus  composed  from  two  documents  is  nevertheless  a  single 
one.  For  it  is  no  contradiction,  c.rj.,  that  according  to  ver.  6 
only  Isaac  is  with  Abraham,  and  that  according  to  ver.  9  Isaac 
and  Ishmael  together  bury  him ;  Ishmael  having  hastened 
thither  on  the  intelligence  of  his  father's  death. 

Abraham's  remarriage,  ver.  1  :  And  Abraliam  again  took  a 
^vife,  and  her  name  ivas  Kcturah.  According  to  the  statements 
xxiii.  1,  XXV.  7,  comp.  xvii.  17,  Abraham  had  still  a  life  of 
about  forty  years  before  him.  The  construction  is  like 
xxxviii.  5,  and  both  in  matter  and  diction  resembles  xvi.  3, 
where  Hagar  also  is  called  Abraham's  n^'x.  Keturah  however 
is  not  a  secondary  wife  during  the  lifetime  of  his  wife.  Augus- 
tine, de  civ.  Dei,  16.  34,  justly  lays  stress  upon  this  against  the 
opponents  of  the  sccundoi  nuptim.  She  is  indeed  also  called, 
ver.  6,  comp.  1  Chron.  i.  32,  t^'J^'S ;  she  does  not  stand  on  the 
same  level  as  Sarah,  who  as  the  mother  of  the  son  of  promise 
stands  alone.  But  in  other  respects  no  blot  attaches  to  the 
second  marriage.  The  relation  too  to  Keturah  contributes  to 
the  fulfilment  of  the  word  of  promise,  which  appointed  Abraham, 
xxii.  4  sq.,  to  be  the  father  of  a  multitude  of  nations.  The 
sons  and  grandsons  of  Abraham  by  Keturah  form  however  no 
special  nil^n ;  they  are  but  offshoots  of  the  tree  whose  growth 
is  depicted  in  Genesis.  The  list,  which  in  opposition  to  the 
account  of  Kleodemus  "  the  prophet  "  in  Joseph.  Ant.  i.  1 5  gives 
an  impression  of  its  historical  truth,  contains  in  part  at  least 
names  of  Arab  tribes  still  recognisable.  These  must  long 
ago  have  become  such,  when  Israel  was  in  course  of  develop- 
ment at  a  distance.^     The   Arabic  Kenealo£[ies  know  indeed 

'  See  Wetzstein's  article  on  Northern  Arabia  and  the  Syrian  desert  in 
Kohuer's  Zeitschr.  fur  Allgcm.  Erdkunde,  Annual  issue  xviii.  1865. 


118  GENESIS  XXV.  2. 

nothing  of  a  great  kindred  of  tribes  descended  from  Keturali, 
and  Sprenger  even  fathers  npon  the  genealogist  the  absurdity 
of  making  Arabs,  with  whom  he  was  acquainted  as  dealers  in 
spices,  sons  of  a  Keturah  (miDp  =  JTibp,  frankincense).  But 
\j^  is   actually  alleged   to  be  the  name  of  a  tribe  in  the 

neighbourhood  of  Mecca  (comp.  also  J^  the  present  name  of 
the  peninsula  of  Bahrein).  Direct  descendants  of  Abraham 
by  Keturah,  ver.  2  :  And  she  hare  him  I'J'fT/  Knobel  com- 
pares Za(3pdiJb  in  PtoL,  the  royal  city  of  the  Kinaedokolpites 
(i"jjL<31  DMZ.  xxii.  663),  Grotius  the  Arab  tribe  of  the 
Zamarcni  in  Pliny  6.  32.  §  158.  The  KaaaaviTat,  dwelling 
south  of  tlie  Kinaedokolpites  on  the  Ptcd  Sea,  have  nothing 
to  do  with  Tf  p',  for  these  are  the  Gassanidse  ^'wi.  {DMZ. 
xxii.   668);   Arab  genealogists    give    \J^\    as   the  name  of 

a  portion  of  the  ancient  population  of  Yemen  {DMZ.  x.  31). 
The  name  of  the  AVadi  Meddn  near  the  ruins  of  the  town 
Dedan  accords  with  l^p,  and  the  name  of  the  town  Madjan 
{MaStrjv/]    in    Joseph.    Ant.    ii.    11.    1),  five    days'   journey 

south  of  Aila,  with  T^p.  f^\Xo  and  ^^;A^  were  the  names  of 
an  ancient  Arabian  god  (see  Hitz.  on  Prov.  vi.  19).  Ptolemy 
mentions  a  MaBtd/xa  in  the  north  of  Arabia  felix,  vi.  7.  27, 
and  Mohlava  (=  ;no)  in  the  west  of  Arabia  felix  on  the  east 
coast  of  the  ^lanitic  Gulf,  vi.  7.  2.  clio_j-ij  Sjaubachuin  in 
'Gebal,  whose  name,  meaning  thicket,  saltus,  became  famous 
in  the  times  of  the  Crusades,  has  nothing  to  do  with  ?^p\  (see 
on  xxxvi.  20).      nVki^  can  scarcely  be  combined  with  the  tribe 

^l:^\j^\  es-Sejd'iha,  eastward  of  Aila,  and  by  no  means  with 
HaKKUia,  Ptol.  V.  15.  26,  which  is  on  the  contrary  to  be  con- 
nected with  the  ''SaJcka  \JiJL  above  Duma  and  Tcmd  in  East- 
Hauran,  nor  with  the  two  villages  of  the  name  of  SVidn  (with 

1  On  the  phonetic  law,  according  to  which  the  LXX.  reads  Za^/J^av  for  pOT> 
Ma//.[ipn  for  X1I0O,  'Afilipa/u,  for  DIDJ?,  etc.,  see  Flecker,  Scripture  Onomatology 
(London  1883),  pp.  26-28. 


GENESIS  XXV.  3,  4.  119 

(jm),  one  of  which  lies  in  the  NuJcra  one  league  north  of 
l/mm  Weled,  the  other  in  south  Golan.  Friedr.  Delitzsch  has 
shown  {Paradics,  p.  297  sq.,  and  the  "Essay  on  the  Land  of 
Uz,"  Zeitschr.  fiir  Kcilschriftforschiing,  1885),  in  cuneiform 
inscriptions,  a  land  of  Suhu,  which  lay  at  all  events  north  of 
Hauran,  and  north-eastwards  of  the  great  Palmyra  road,  and 
also  a  land  JashiiJc,  coinciding  phonetically  with  p'^^\.  The 
Jokshanidie,  oa :  And  Joksan  begat  ^Sehd  and  Dcddn.  The 
tracing  of  i^^^  and  \y\  to  m3  x.  7,  is  not  incompatible  with 
their  Semitic  derivation  here  and  x.  28  (see  on  these  two 
passages).     The  LXX.  in  Isa.  Jer.  Ezek.  writes  for  jm  AatSdv, 

similar  in  sound  with  the  name  of  the  ruins  of  the  town  j^\  j^j  jjl 
(Jakut  ii.  p.  SPI,  line  3)  on  the  borders  of  the  Bclka  towards 
Higaz,  according  to  Wetzst.  at  the  eastern  foot  of  the  Hisma 
mountain  chain,  where  is  also  found  a  valley  of  Meddn  sloping 
towards  the  east ;  farther  off  lies  Dciden,  Syr.  Didhi,  the  name 
of  one  of  the  islands  of  Bahrein,  The  tribes  descending  from 
Dedan,  oh :  And  the  sons  of  Dcddn  were  D"i3ti*x,  of  whom  no 
trace  is  elsewhere  found,  for  "iit^\s  Ezek.  xxvii.  23  is  Assyria, 
and  ^1V<>'Sn  2  Sam.  ii.  9  probably  an  error  of  transcription.    The 

tribes   t,J^  and  f,j^\  may  perhaps  be  combined  with  the  DK'ID^ 

and  Q^^N7,  unless  their  names  are  to  be  regarded,  as  by  Eenan, 
as  mutilated  from  D"'C''iD^  and  W'avh  {DMZ.  xx.  175,  xxiii.  298). 
Eamification  of  IMidian,  ver.  4  :  And  the  sons  of  Midian  :  ns-jr^ 
according  to  Isa.  Ix.  6,  a  trading  tribe  bringing  gold  and 
frankincense  from  Sheba;  isy,  with  which  Wetzstein  compares 

jLz  a  district  in  the  'Alia,  i.e.  the  highland  between  the 
Tihama  range  and  the  Aban,  after  which  this  part  of  Arabia 
was  called  ^j:  j^i:,  the  Ncjd  of  'Ofr;  "H^n,  which  harmonizes 
in  sound  with  the  district  Ilandlcia  compared  by  Ivnobel  and 
Wetzstein  (Burckhardt,  Arabien,  p.  690  sq.,  comp.  Eitter,  Erd- 
kunde,  xiii.  451),  three  days'  journey  north  of  Medina,  where 
Ibrahim  Pasha  had  a  standing  camp  on  account  of  its  abund- 


120  GENESIS  XXV.  5-7. 


ance  of  water ;  Vy^X  and  •^V'^'c^,  about  which  there  is  nothing 
to  say  but  that  j;T'ax  and  bis^T  occur  as  Himjaritic  personal 
names  {DMZ.  xxvii.  648),  as  yrcc^  and  xc'l^  do  as  Nabatseau 
{DMZ.  xviii.  447).  It  cannot  be  wondered  that  some  of  these 
ancient  names  should,  in  consequence  of  the  many  migrations, 
intermingling  and  wars  of  the  Arabic  tribes,  have  been  lost 
without  leaving  a  trace  behind. 

Abraham  makes  Isaac  heir  of  all,  and  gives  gifts  to  the 
sons  of  the  concubines,  vv.  5,6:  And  Abraham,  gave  all  that 
he  had  to  Isaac.  And  to  the  sons  of  the  conc2ihines  luhom 
Abraham  had,  Abraham  gave  gifts  and  sent  them  away  from 
Isaac  Ms  son  during  his  lifetime  castivard  into  the  east 
country.  He  gave  all  that  he  possessed  to  Isaac,  i.e.  as 
at  xxiv.  36:  he  promised  it  to  him,  and  gave  it  to  his 
management.  The  concubines  are  Hagar  and  Keturah,  we 
know  of  no  others.  t^'JP'B  (jrdWa^,  ^;e^^e>r,  or  according  to 
an  old  writing  pcelex)  occurred  in  J  at  xxii.  24.  "The 
east  country "  is  Arabia  in  the  widest  sense,  in  the  first 
place  Arabia  dcscrta  and  petra^a,  and  then  farther  southwards 
the  whole  Arabian  peninsula.  It  is  not  without  reason 
that  we  have  here,  ver.  6,  the  apparently  superfluous  V  ^3"iiy3. 
The  Mosaic  law  and  ancient  Hebrew  custom  know  only  of 
a  so-called  intestate  hereditary  right,  i.e.  one  independent  of 
the  testamentary  disposition  of  the  testator,  and  regulated 
according  to  the  degree  of  lineal  hereditary  succession.  If 
then  Abraham  desired  not  to  let  the  sons  of  his  concubines 
depart  empty,  he  was  obliged  to  provide  for  them  by  gifts 
during  his  lifetime.  The  history  of  Abraham's  life  now 
comes  to  an  end,  ver.  7 :  And  this  is  the  amoiint  of  the 
years  of  Abraham's  life  ivhich  he  lived:  a  hundred  and  five 
and  seventy  years.  The  marriage  of  Keturah  took  place  in 
the  fourth  decade,  before  the  end  of  this  'long  life  (subse- 
quent to  the  137th  year),  which  on  reckoning  up  extended 
to  about  fifteen  years  beyond  the  birth  of  the  twin  children, 
but   which,  as  in   the   case   of  Terah,  is   here  auticipatively 


GENESIS  XXV.  8-10.  121 

finished  off.  His  death,  ver.  8  :  Ajid  Ahraliam  expiral  and 
died  in  a  good  old  age,  old  and  full,  and  %vas  gathered  to 
his  iKople.  The  promise  xv.  15  was  fulfilled.  In  the 
case  of  Isaac,  whose  death  resembled  that  of  his  father, 
we  find  XXXV.  29  instead  of  V^if'  the  fuller  expression 
Wty  ynl",  like  ijlcnus  vitce  and  satur  ac  2ylcmis  rcrum  in 
Lucretius.  On  D''sy=Dy  ""ill  see  on  xvii.  14.  ^P^'.l  has  always 
in  this  phrase,  when  it  appears  in  the  form  of  the  imp. 
conscc,  the  tone  drawn  hack  (notwithstanding  the  Tiphcha), 
ver.  17,  XXXV.  29,  xlix.  33,  Deut.  xxxii.  50,  comp.  on  the 
other  hand  Num.  xx.  24,  xxxi.  2.  This  qos^i  yin  is,  accord- 
ing to  Bathra  16&,  the  special  expression  for  the  death  of 
the  pious.  For  as  the  fulness  of  life  of  the  patriarchs 
denotes  a  desire  for  another  world,  where  they  will  be 
delivered  from  the  tribulations  of  this,  so  is  union  with 
the  fathers  not  a  union  merely  of  corpses  but  of  persons. 
That  death  does  not,  as  might  appear  from  iii.  19,  put  an 
end  to  the  individual  continuity  of  man,  is  a  notion  univer- 
sally diffused  in  the  world  of  nations, — a  notion  originating 
from  and  justified  by  the  fact,  that  not  only  wrath  but 
mercy  was  proclaimed  to  fallen  man.  Believers  however 
knew  more  than  this,  but  only  by  the  inference  drawn  by 
faith  from  the  premisses  of  the  Divine  promise,  and  breaking 
through  the  comfortless  notion  of  Hades.  Kara  ircariv 
uirkOavov  ovrot  iravre';,  Heb.  xi.  13.  They  were  united  in 
faith  to  Jaliveh,  as  He  the  ever-living  One  united  Himself 
to  them  by  His  word  and  placed  Himself  in  a  mutual 
relation  to  them,  which  could  never  cease.  Thus  also  did 
Abraham  depart  from  this  world,  after  he  had  already  long 
departed  from  its  history,  and  had  spent  in  the  quiet  of  his 
home  decades  of  which  history  tells  us  nothing.  His  burying, 
vv.  9,  10  :  And  Isaac  and  Ishmacl  his  sons  hurled  him  in 
the  cave  of  Machpelah,  in  the  field  of  Ephron  the  son  of 
Sohar  the  Hethite,  which  is  before  Mamre,  the  field  which 
Abraham  bought  of  the   sons  of  Heth.      There  was  Abraham, 


122  GENESIS  XXV.  11. 

huried,  and  Sarah  his  wife.  Isaac  and  Islimael,  who  after 
Isaac  ranks  highest  among  the  sons  of  Abraham,  buried  him. 
It  is  not  thence  to  be  inferred  that  Ishmael  was  at  that 
time  still  in  his  father's  house.  The  blessiug  of  Abraham 
as  regards  this  world  is  now  transferred  to  Isaac,  ver.  11a; 
And  it  came  to  ]3ass  after  Abraham's  death,  that  Mohim  blessed 
Isaac  his  son.  Thus  is  fulfilled  the  covenant  promise,  xvii. 
21.  Thus  far  Q;  11&  is  added  from  J:  And  Isaac  dwelt 
by  the  well  Lahai-rot.  His  dwelling  by  Hagar's  well  was 
certainly  not  without  the  influence  of  the  answer  to  prayer 
there  received  and  never  to  be  forgotten.  Beersheba  had 
hitherto  been  the  common  residence  of  himself  and  his 
father,  xxii.  19.  Later  on  in  the  evening  of  his  life  we 
find  him  at  Mamre,  xxxv.  27  {Q).  The  life  of  the  patriarch 
was  a  pilgrimage  without  a  settled  dwelling-place. 


VII. 
THE  TOLEDOTH  OF  ISHMAEL,  XXV.  12-18. 

(Parallel  passage,  1  Chron.  i.  28-31.) 

Before  the  history  of  the  seed  of  promise  can  go  on  with- 
out interruption,  the  history  of  Ishmael  must  be  finished  off  in 
accordance  with  the  method  of  the  fundamental  document  (Q). 
This  is  now  done,  ver.  12  :  And  these  are  the  generations  of 
Ishmael  the  son  of  Ahraluim,  whom  Hagar  the  EgTjptian, 
Sarah's  maid,  bore  to  Abraham,  This  general  title  is 
particularized,  ver,  13a:  And  these  are  the  names  of  the 
sons  of  Ishmael,  hy  their  names,  according  to  their  generations. 
Before  DriintJ'3,  these  sous  of  Ishmael  must  be  supplied  in 
thought.  They  are  now  specified  according  to  their  names 
and  sequence.  There  were  twelve  of  them  according  to 
the  promise  xvii.  20,  corresponding  with  the  twelve  tribes 
of  Israel.  The  blessing  of  Ishmael,  who  was  also  the  seed 
of  Abraham  and,  differing  herein  from  the  sons  of  Keturah, 
received  Divine  promises,  made  chs.  xvii.  and  xxi.  in  the 
name  D^n^x,  and  ch.  xvi.  in  the  name  nins  is  a  reflection  of 
the  blessing  of  Israel.  The  first-born  of  Ishmael  was,  accord- 
ing to  13&,  n^33.  Nebajoth  and  Kedar  are  mentioned 
together  not  only  Isa.  Ix.  7,  but  also  Plin.  h.  n.  6.  32 
{Nabatcei  et  Cedrei) ;  Kaiddr  and  Ndhit  (Ndbt)  written  with 
fj^  are  known  also  to  Arabic  and  Armenian  historians 
(Hiibschraann,  Zur  Gesch.  Armeniens,  1865,  p.  12)  as, 
according     to     biblical     precedent,    descendants    of    Ishmael 

or   also   of  Madian.       Along  with  this  occurs  La3    (Gentilic 


124  GENESIS  XXV.  13. 

Ujj,  plur.  of  the  nation  in  its  manifold  totality,  ^\jjn  genea- 
logically traced  back  to  ^^  i.e.  ^^  x.  23,  or  otherwise,  as  the 
name  of  the  Aramaean  population  of  Egypt  as  far  as  the 
Tigris  (comp.  1  Mace.  v.  24  sq.,  ix.  35),  and  especially  of 
the  districts  between  the  Euphrates  and  the  Tigris.  It  is 
on  this  account  that  Quatremere  in  his  lUmoire  sur  les 
NcibaUens,  with  the  concurrence  of  Causin,  Eitter  and 
Steinschneider  (see  his  additions  to  Brecher's  Die  Besch- 
ncidung,  p.  1 1  sq.),  rejects  the  combination  of  the  Nabatseans 
with  the  Ishmaelite  nr33.  Schrader  also  {KAT.  147,  414) 
distinguishes  the  north  Arabian  Ndbaitai  from  the  Baby- 
lonio-Aramaean  Ndbatu,  while  Winer,  Kless  (in  Pauli's  BE. 
vol.  i.  377  sqq.),  Krehl  {Bdirjion  der  voi^islam.  Arab.  1863, 
p.  51),  Blau  {BMZ.  xvii.  51)  and  Noldeke  {D3IZ.  xxxiii. 
322  sq.)  adhere  to  the  connection  of  the  Nabatsean  £223 
with  the  biblical  nvm  The  manner  of  writing  the  name 
varies ;  upon  the  coins  of  ISTabatoean  kings  inn:  and  it333  are 
interchanged  (see  Levy  in  JDMZ.  xiv.  317),  and  in  the 
Targum  and  Talmud  the  forms  D2J,  nna,  nilJ  and  even 
ns3  are  found  together  (see  Geiger,  id.  xv.  413).  The 
Assyrian  inscriptions  write  the  name  in  all  its  forms  with 
t  (nahaitu,  adj.  gentil.  nabaitai),  not  with  t  (Friedr.  Delitzsch, 
Baradics,  29 G  sq.).  The  supposed  ancient  Nabattean  waitings 
derived  from  Babylonia,  to  which  Chwolson  (1859)  gave 
credence,  are,  as  is  now  acknowledged,  the  fabrication  of 
Ibn-Wahsija,  who  says  he  translated  them  iuto  Arabic.  The 
name  of  the  Nabata^ans  is  in  these  writings  one  of  much 
further  reach,  including  also  the  Chaldseans,  Syrians,  and 
Canaanites,  and  has  hence  neither  certainty  nor  outline.  It  is 
on  the  contrary  certain  that  in  the  first  century  B.C.,  and  down 
to  the  time  of  Trajan,  the  Nabatseans  w^ere  a  prominent  and 
civilised  people  whose  realm  extended  from  the  ^lanitic 
Gulf  to  the  land  east  of  Jordan,  past  Belka  as  far  as 
Hauran,  —  written    memorials    of    this    people    are    found 


GENESIS  XXV.  13.  125 

from  Egypt  to  Babylonia,  but  Arabia  retmea  is  the  chief 
mine  for  thein.  The  supposed  ancient  Nabatoean  writings 
might,  if  they  contained  any  ancient  germ,  coincide  with  this 
period  of  Nabata^an  civilisation,  with  which  was  combined 
the  flourishing  period  of  Christianity  in  Arabia  Petrtea 
(see  my  Kirchlichcs  Chronikon  dcs  pctr.  Arahicns,  Luth.  Zcit- 
sclir.  1840,  iv.  41.  1);  and  whether" this  civilisation  had  its 
starting-point  in  Babylonia  or  Arabia,  the  one  is  quite  as  com- 
patible as  the  other  with  the  Ishmaelite  origin  of  the  mp  ^J3,  nor 
is  tlie  Aramaic  language  of  the  inscriptions  and  forms  of  incan- 
tation contrary  to  this  origin.  "We  know  indeed  but  little 
of  pre-Islamite  Arabic  and  its  dialects.  But  the  few  remains 
which  have  been  preserved,  e.g.  the  cry  Malclian,  with  which, 
according  to  Laurentius  Lydus  {de  mcnsihus,  iv.  75),  a  Saracen 
is  said  to  have  pierced  the  Emperor  Julian,  recognised  by  the 
purple,  in  the  Persian  "War,  make  it  probable  that  idioms  lying 
midway  between  the  Aramaic  and  Arabic  with  which  we  are 
acquainted,  were  in  existence.  The  Aramaic  idiom  of  the 
Sinaitic  inscriptions  is  moreover  of  a  strongly  Arabic  tinge 
{DMZ.  xiv.  379).  The  nomadic  people  mentioned  together 
with  Kedar  in  the  times  of  the  Israelite  kings  must  have 
been  as  yet  politically  insignificant,  for  they  are  not  men- 
tioned in  the  history  of  the  kings,  though  this  mention  might 
be  expected  in  such  connections  as  2  Chron.  xvii.  11,xxl  16, 
Ps.  Ixxxiii.  7.  Petra  appears  as  an  Edomite  town,  and  in 
the  Syro  -  Ephraimitic  war  Eeziu  made  Ailat  an  Aramsean 
colony.  But  what  objection  is  there  to  accepting  the  notion 
that  Ishmaelite  wandering  tribes  may  have  been  subsequently 
swallowed  up  in  the  renowned  civilised  nation  of  the 
Ndbatcei,  who  constructed  their  marvellous  buildings  upon 
the  ancient  Seirite  mountains,  but  were  despised  by  the  Arabs 
as  townsmen  and  pikemen,  and  not  acknowledged  as  their 
equals  because  of  their  settled  habits  and  industry  ? — Ishmael's 
second  son  is  "i^i?.  This  people  of  north-western  Arabia, 
frequently  mentioned  in  the  Old  Testament  as  nomads  dwell- 


126  GENESIS  XXV.  13. 

ing  in  tents  and  as  good  bowmen,  was  already  known  to  Pliny 
(5.  11)  as  the  Ccdrci.  Kedarenes  dwelt  eastward  of  the 
Nabatteans  in  the  desert  beyond  Babylonia  (Isa.  xlii  11, 
Ps.  cxx.   5).     They  had   disappeared   in  the   first   period  of 

Islam.     Jefeth  on  Cant.  i.   5    substitutes  [J^t/  the  tribe  of 

Muhammed.  The  third  son  of  Ishmael  is  ''^??1J>*,  according  to 
Friedr.  Delitzsch  {Paraclies,  301  sq.)  the  north  Arabian  tribe 
of  Idiha'il.  —  The  fourth  son  is  Db'ap,  and  the  fifth  V^p^'P, 
names  which  occur  together  also  in  the  genealogy  of  the  tribe 
of  Simeon  (1  Chron.  iv.  25).  The  name  of  the  Maiaaifiavetq 
somewhat  north- east  of  Medina,  Ptol.  vi.  7,  21  (comp.  DMZ. 
xxii.  672),  and  cl-Misimjc  in  Legah,  the  name  of  the  largest 
town  in  the  mid-Syrian  volcanic  region,  sound  like  J^'^V'P,  but 
actual  connection  is  doubtful  in  both  cases.  The  sixth  son 
nnn,  probably  Aov[xa6a,  Aov[xe6a  in  Ptolem.  and  Steph.  Byz., 

Domatha  in  Plin.,   the   present   JaastI   ^.•cjJ  in   the  lowest 

depression  of  the  Syrian  land  of  Niifud,  the  so-called  G6f 
whence  proceeds  the  question  to  the  prophet,  Isa.  xxi.  11,  is 
about  forty  leagues  north  of  Teinid.  The  seventh  son  N^'P 
sounds  like  the  Maaavol,  Ptol.  v.  19.  2,  north-east  of  Duma. 
An  Assyrian  inscription  in  Priedr.  Delitzsch  {Paradies,  302) 
mentions  a  Masai  (from  SC'O  ?)  who  surprised  the  Nabatoeans 
{Nibaaiti)  after  the  Assyrians  had  withdrawn.  The  name  of 
the  country  ncd  is  also  probably  concealed  in  Pro  v.  xxxi.  1, 
XXX.  1,  which  see. — On  the  eighth  son  ^in  (as  according  to  the 
Masora  1  Chron.  i.  30  is  also  to  be  written,  with  which 
agree  the  LXX.  Sam.  Jos.,  and  according  to  which  Targ.  Jer. 
translates  ^'^'^yS)  there  is  nothing  to  be  said.  The  ninth 
son  S<^''J[^  does  not  correspond  with  m^j  »Jo  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of   the  Persian  Gulf   (0at/xot  in  Ptol.),   but  with  the 

trading  tribe  of  ^'^"'^  P.^  ( U-vj"  Assyr.  Tem\b,  upon  the 
borders  of  the  Negd  and  the  Syrian  desert).  Job  vi.  19,  Isa. 
xxi.  14,  mentioned  in  Jer.  xxv.  23   between  Dedan  and  Buz, 


GENESIS  XXV.  13.  127 

and  not  to  be  confused  with  the  Idumn?an  l^^"^,  xxxvi.  42, 
though  it  almost  seems  as  if  i^"*^  mentioned  Jer.  xlix,  7  sq., 
Ezek.  XXV.  13,  together  with  Dedan  were  equivalent  to  t^O^n. 
Arabian  geographers  give  the  name  of  Teman  to  the  southern 
half  of  the  Negd,  but  are  acquainted  also  with  a  Tetrrean 
Teman  in  northern  'Alia  called  J^^  jj  (j^.-0"  the  ruins  of 
Teman.  Wetzstein  has  also  brouglit  to  our  knowledge  still  exist- 
ing trans-Hauranian  localities  called  Tenia  and  Diana.  There 
is  also  found  in  East  Hauran,  three  and  a  half  leagues  south  of 
Tema,  a  still  stately  town  of  BiJtzdn.  Nevertheless  the  places 
here  named  are  more  probably  to  be  sought  in  the  Xegd  than 
in  East  Hauran. — The  tenth  and  eleventh  sons  are  '^'^'^\  and 
w'''D3,  both  mentioned  by  the  Chronicler,  1  Chron.  v.  18-22,  in 
conjunction  with  ^^i^,  whose  name  has  been  preserved  in  the 

Hauranian  Nudebe  (  ^UjjJ  )  in  the  Wadi  d-hiitm,  and  with  the 
^'^''l^'I',  'i-^-  ^Aypatoi  or  'Aype€<;,  whose  capital  was  .<sji  (Ethiop. 
and  Himjar.  hagar  town),  in  Plin.  li.  n.  6.  32  Hegra  on  the 
Persian  Gulf ;  they  there  appear  as  involved  in  war  with  their 
neighbours  the  trans-Jordanic  tribes  of  Israel.  Of  t;"'Si  we 
know  nothing  else.  The  I'l^''.  however,  according  to  Strabo, 
are  the  plundering  'Irovpatot  dwelling  on  Lebanon  and  the 
Hauran  chain  {Itura:i  sagittarii  in  Cicero,  FJiilij:)]}.  2.  44) ; 
the  inhabitants  of  the  highest  part  and  of  the  eastern  slope 
of  the  Druse  mountain  chain  in  Hauran  are  perhaps  their 
descendants. — The  name  too  of  the  twelfth  son  ^^"^P  is  not 

T   :  J" 

elsewhere  to  be  pointed  out,  for  D"!]!^  \J3  mentioned  with 
Midian  and  Amalek  Judg.  vi.  3,  with  Moab  and  Amnion 
Isa.  xi.  14,  Ezek.  xxv.  4,  10,  is  a  collective  name;  but 
XapaK7)voi,  which  certainly  means  the  men  of  the  East,  appears 
originally,  like  "^^IP!.,  as  a  separate  tribe  upon  the  Sinaitic 
peninsula  or  elsewhere.  We  need  not  be  surprised  to  seek  in 
vain  for  most  of  these  names  in  "VYiistenfeld's  and  Sprenger's 
lists,  for  even  the  great  tribes,  who  made  a  figure  in  the 
beginning   of   the    history  of    Islam,  have    now   disappeared 


128  GEXESIS  XXV.  16,  17. 

together  with  their  names.  Closing  summary,  ver.  16  :  These 
are  the  sons  of  IshmacI,  and  these  are  their  navies  in  their  settle- 
ments and  their  encamiwients,  twelve  'princes  according  to  their 
nations,  ritex  is  found  also  in  Q  at  Num.  xxv.  15,  where  Arabs 
are  spoken  of,  as  the  word  for  nations.  Two  kinds  of  dwelling- 
places  are  here  distinguished,  first  S''"!>'D,  the  special  name  for 
the  groups  of  houses  placed  within  the  steppe,  and  enclosed  ou 
every  side  for  fear  of  surprise, — as  described  by  Burckhardt 
(translated  by  Gesenius,  p.  1043)  among  the  villages  of  the 
Gof — from  "iVC  to  enclose,  comp.Jliir»-,^rs-  and  especially  ^,*ii»-, 
to  live  in  a  courtyard  walled  round  {liadar,  haddr,  hacldra) ; 
here  as  at  Lev.  xxv.  31,  and  to  this  day  with  the  obliteration 
of  the  characteristic  "  walled  round,"  the  general  name  for  a 
settled  abode  (with  houses  of  plaster  or  stone)  in  contrast 
with   wandering   and   tents.       Then   rii"i"'p    (from    n^D,  comp. 

jU?  \^)   encampment  (identical  in  meaning  with  ciJl-x^  sirdt 

andj|.J  dudr),  i.e.  cucvlIqx  groups  (comp.  ^Jr,  jjj  circle,  cir- 
cumference) of  pitched  tents  (haircloth  tents,  iccdjar).  The 
first  appellation  of  the  kind  of  dwelling  designates  the 
stationary,  the  second  the  wandering  sons  of  Ishmael.  Dura- 
tion of  Ishmael's  lifetime,  ver.  17  :  And  this  is  the  amount  of 
the  years  of  Ishmael:  a  hundred  and  seven  and  thirty  years,  and 
he  departed  and  died,  and  was  gathered  to  his  people.  Dwelling- 
places  of  the  Ishmaelites,  ver.  18  :  They  divelt  from,  Havilah 
to  "SCir,  luhich  is  hcfore  Egypt  as  far  as  towards  Assyria,  east- 
wards of  all  his  hrethren  came  he  to  dicell.  The  topographical 
"•^a'Py  denotes  a  position  which  so  covers  the  front  of  any 
place,  that  it  may  be  seen  thence  before  arriving  at  it.  In 
itself  it  tells  us  nothing  of  the  quarter,  comp.  Josh.  xv.  8 
"  westwards ; "  xviii.  4  "  southwards,"  but  standing  alone  it 
has  here,  as  at  xvi.  12,  the  meaning  of  eastwards  (comp.  Deut. 
xxxii.  49,  1  Sam.  xv.  7,  1  Kings  xi.  7,  Zech.  xiv.  4,  comp. 
Num.  xxi.  11).  The  ^?3  usual  elsewhere  of  the  territory 
devolving  to  any  one,  means  here,  as  at  Judg.  vii.  1 2,  to  settle. 


GENESIS  XXV.  18.  129 

Luther  translates  after  the  Vulgate  :  coram  0.^3~7y  as  at  xi.  28) 
cunctis  fratribus  suis  dbiit.     But  ''?J  is  used  of  falling  in  war, 

and  not  like  the  Arabic  js>.  exactly  in  the  meaning  of  dying ; 
and  the  prediction  xvi.  12,  the  fulfilment  of  which  is  the 
point  in  question,  shows  that  it  is  here  synonymous  with  I?'^. 
Luther  explains  it  in  the  Enarrationes  more  correctly  :  ten-am 
occuparunt,  but  with  a  mistaken  interpretation  of  bsi  after 
Dv"'??  (invaders)  instead  of  settlement  (com p.  xxiv.  64).  The 
^pj}.  here  coincides  locally  with  the  Joktanite  Havilah  x.  29, 
the  country  of  the  XavXoTalot  mentioned  between  the 
Nabatffians  and  Agrajans  by  Eratosthenes  in  Strabo,  xvi.  4.  2. 
Between  this  Havilah  on  the  Persian  Gulf  and  the  desert  of 
Shur  lying  towards  Egypt,  the  Ishmaelites  spread  themselves 
over  the  Sinaitic  peninsula  and  the  trans-Jordanic  deserts  of 
the  Higaz  and  Negd,  as  well  as  further  up  Mesopotamia 
nniu's  ^S3  in  the  direction  of  Assyria,  i.e.  as  far  as  the  lands 
under  Assyrian  sway.  Comparing  indeed  1  Sam.  xxvii.  8,  the 
suspicion  is  aroused  that  nnVtTS  ^X3  is  a  recent  gloss  which 
erroneously  interprets  the  iic^, — what  it  states  is  however 
correct  as  to  matter  (Dillm.),  and  the  sentence  ^s:  vns  b^  ^JD"^y, 
to  which  Wellh,  also  objects  {Composition,  i.  p.  410),  is  quite 
unassailable.  But  it  is  possible  that  ver.  18  is  an  addition 
from  J,  in  which  its  original  place  was  perhaps  after  ver.  6. 


VOL.  IL 


VIII. 
THE  TOLEDOTH  OF  ISAAC,  XXV.  19-XXXV.  29. 

THE  TIIEEE  PEPtlODS  OF  THE  HISTORY  OF  ISAAC. 

We  have  already  had  preliminary  information  concerning 
Isaac,  but  his  proper  history  according  to  the  view  and  plan 
of  Genesis  commences  here.  It  is  opened  by  R  with  matter 
derived  from  Q,  who  furnishes  its  scaffold  and  framework, 
vv.  19,  20  :  And  these  are  the  generations  of  Isaac,  the  son  of 
Abraham  ;  Abraham  begat  Isaac.  And  Isaac  was  forty  years 
old  when  lie  took  to  wife  Mchckah,  the  daughter  of  Bethucl  the 
Aramaean  from  Taddan  Aram,  the  sister  of  laban  the  Ara- 
maean. The  n'lpin  of  Isaac  assume  that  he  is  an  independent 
commencement.  And  this  he  became  after  obtaining  a  wife 
in  Eebekah  from  CiX  H?.  Here  for  the  first  time  we  meet 
with  this  name  of  the  Aramaean  plain,  occurring  elsewhere  only 
in  Q  and  never  out  of  Genesis.  It  is  perhaps  (comp.  Spiegel, 
Urdnische  Alterthumshunde,  i.  289)  of  a  narrower  meaning 
than  the  Jahvistic  D^inJ  I3']X,  and  denotes  those  plains  of  the 
immense  fruitful  campi  Jllesopotamice  (Curtius,  iii.  2.  3, 
V.    1.   15)   in  which    lay  Harran  and  Edessa  {Urhoi).     The 

M'ord  n?  (^o^'^)  ^^  °^  1^^®  ^°*^^  "^^^^  ^*^^  ^^®  broad  desert 
plain,  and  properly  means  the  extended  level ;  in  Aramaic 
and  Arabic  it  is  transferred  to  the  oxen  yoked  to  the  plough 
and  to  the  plough  itself  {DMZ.  xxviii.  623).  But  even  in 
these  tongues  its  original  meaning-  of  plain,  field,  cultivated 
land   (Gr.    TreSiov,   which    however   means    trodden    ground), 


GENESIS  XXY.  IP,  20.  131 


«- 


whence  J\si  as  the  designation  of  the  landowner  is  derived, 
has  been  maintained  as  a  local  name  {DMZ.  xxix.  433). 
Hos.  xii.  12  lias  r^-^}^  for  n?  (com p.  Shabhath  118&  ^nb'=nv^'). 
Isaac's  marriage  with  llebekah,  who  came  from  this  Araratea, 
remained  childless  for  twenty  years ;  it  was  not  till  fifteen 
years  before  the  death  of  Abraham  (not  after  that  event,  as 
Josephus,  confusing  the  historiographic  with  the  historic 
sequence,  thinks)  that  Eebehah  bore  children,  and  that  the  new 
beginning  appointed  to  take  place  with  Isaac  made  an  advance. 
The  Toledoth  of  Isaac  are  divided  into  three  sections  :  the  first 
extends  from  the  birth  of  the  twin  children  amidst  marvellous 
circumstances  to  the  sending  away  of  Jacob  to  Harran,  xxv.  21 
to  xxviii.  9  ;  the  second  begins  with  Jacob's  dream  of  the 
heavenly  ladder  on  his  way  to  Harran,  and  reaches  to  his 
final  peaceable  departure  from  Laban,  xxviii.  10  to  xxxii.  1  ; 
the  third  begins  with  the  miraculous  experiences  of  Jacob 
during  his  return,  at  ]\Iahanaim  and  Peniel,  and  terminates 
with  the  death  of  Isaac,  xxxii.  2  to  xxxv.  29.  The  history 
of  Isaac  differs  from  that  of  Abraham  by  the  chief  personage 
not  being  as  in  the  latter  the  patriarch  himself,  but  his  son 
Jacob.  Isaac  is  the  middle,  the  entirely  secondary  and  rather 
passive  than  active  member  of  the  patriarchal  triad.  The 
usual  course  of  the  historical  process  is,  that  the  middle  is 
weaker  than  the  beginning  and  end,  the  fundamental  figure 
of  its  rhythmic  movement  is  the  amphimacer  — o-'  .  And 
thus  also  does  the  patriarchal  history  advance  to  its  goal 
Wliat  is  told  us  of  Isaac  is  comparatively  little,  and  we  see 
Abraham's  history  repeated  in  parvo.  Isaac  is  blessed  for 
Abraham's  sake,  and  he  himself  blesses  with  the  blessing  of 
Abraham,  while  in  the  respect  shown  him  by  Abimelech,  in 
the  long  barrenness  of  his  wife,  in  her  exposure  to  danger  by 
his  faithless  policy,  in  his  two  dissimilar  children,  in  his 
domestic  vexations — in  all  these  he  is  the  copy  of  Abraham ; 
even  the  wells  which  he  digs  are  those  of  Abraham  which 
have  been  stopped  up  by  the  Philistines,  and  the  names  he 


132  GENESIS  XXV.  21. 

gives  them  are  the  old  ones  renewed.     He  is  the  most  passive 
of  the  three  patriarchs. 


THE  TWIN  CHILDREN  AND  ESAU  S  FIRST   SALE  OF  HIS  BIRTHRIGHT 
TO  JACOB,  CH.  XXV.  21-34. 

The  patriarchal  history  hegan  with  the  separation  of  Abra- 
ham the  Shemite  from  the  mass  of  the  nations ;  it  continued 
with  the  separation  of  the  son  of  promise  from  Abraliam's 
other  progeny  ;  it  closes  with  a  fresh  separation  made  between 
the  twin  sons  of  Isaac.  The  birth  of  these  twin  sons  and 
their  separation  by  Divine  choice  and  then  by  their  own 
decision  is  related  in  the  first  section  of  the  life  of  Isaac, 
XXV.  21-34,  in  which  vv.  21-23  may  be  certainly  dis- 
tinguished as  derived  from  J,  and  26&  as  from  Q.  In  the 
rest  the  analysis  is  uncertain,  for  it  is  not  necessary  to  assume 
that  1'ba  purposes  to  give  another  occasion  for  the  name  Ciinx, 
and  xxvii.  35  sq.  an  explanation  of  the  name  2pv;i  in  contra- 
diction to  ver.  26,  both  according  to  E  in  distinction  from  J. 
Neither  is  it  necessary  to  regard  Eebekah's  exposure  to 
danger  by  reason  of  her  beauty,  xxvi.  6—11,  as  occurring 
before  she  became  a  mother. 

Isaac's  prayer  for  the  blessing  of  children,  ver.  21  :  And 
Isaac  'prayed  to  Jahvch  in  respect  of  his  vjife,  for  she  was 
ha7'ren.  And  Jahveh  uas  entreated  hy  him :  Eclchah  his  wife 
conceived.  He  prayed  iJ^B'S  nab?,  i,e.  as  at  xxx.  38,  with  respect 
to  her  from  np2  ,^^3  ^^^f^c  oculos  in  aliqna  re.  The  verb  "iny 
properly  means  to  burn  incense  (Syr.  Arab.  "iuy="iDp  ^),  which 
meaning  is  favoured  by  Ezek.  viii.  11,  where  "inj?  means  the 
scent  (of  the  cloud  of  incense) — the  Arab.  _\i  retreating  from 
this  original  meaning,  is  more  generally :  to  bring  sacrifices, 
not  merely  with  an  object  (Jdkut,  iii.  p.  912,  Z.  13),  but  also 
absolutely  (id.  p.  913,  line  2),  as  also  "'iriy  Zeph.  iii.  10  means 
my  worshippers  (by  sacrifice  and  prayer) — the  transition  from 
adolcre  to  sacrifcari  (comp.  Oveiv)   and  then  to  colej'c  (comp. 


GENESIS  XXV.  22,  23.  133 

clCuJ),  and  farther  to  ^irccari,  is  natural.  The  Niph.  inVi!  is  a 
synonym  of  n^^vp.,  to  let  oneself  be  entreated.  The  Talmud 
and  Midrasli  combine  "inj?  with  inn  in  the  meaning  of  to 
engrave  =  to  penetrate,  for  which  the  Arabic  is  appealed 
to  (see  Pcsilda  de  Edb  Cahana  1G2&,  ed.  Buber) ;  another 
Haggadic  meaning  is  found  in  Buxtorf,  Lex.  Talinud.  col. 
1687.  Apparent  menace  to  maternal  hopes,  ver.  22  :  And 
tlie  children  thrust  each  other  within  her,  then  she  said :  If  it 
he  thus,  for  what  purpose  am  I?  And  she  went  to  inquire  of 
Jahveh.  The  thrusts  within  seem  to  her  indications  not  of 
the  favour  but  of  the  wrath  of  God.  Hence  she  complains 
and  inquires :  Why  (corap.  xxvii.  4G)  do  I  live  at  all  ?  n?^^ 
in  its  first  meaning  ad  quid,  cui  rei,  as  e.g.  at  Amos  v.  18. 
Eebekah  is  of  a  sensitive,  sanguine  disposition,  as  prompt  in 
action  as  she  is  easily  discouraged;  she  maintains  however 
amidst  all  her  changes  of  emotion  a  direct  regard  to  God  and 
to  His  promise.  So  too  here :  she  goes  to  some  holy  place 
consecrated  by  revelation  and  by  the  worship  of  God  tihnp 
'rrns  ad  petendum  Domini  oraculum,  and  receives  comfort  and 
information,  ver.  23  :  Jahveh  said  to  her: 

Two  nations  are  in  thy  icomb, 

And  two  peoples  shall  be  separated  from  thy  lowelsj 

And  a  nation  overcomes  a  nation, 

And  the  elder  will  serve  the  younger. 

The  poetic  form  of  this  tetrastich  is  unmistakeable.  "VVe  here 
see  how  akin  propliecy  is  to  poetry.  In  xxiv.  60  we  had 
the  poetry  of  the  n^ii,  here  the  poetry  of  the  nsni  The 
answer  corresponds  as  to  its  tenour  with  the  paradoxical 
character  of  the  patriarchal  period.  After  the  long  barren- 
ness of  Eebekah,  which  made  the  life  of  Isaac  an  enigma,  is 
removed,  the  mark  of  an  inversion  of  natural  order  is  im- 
pressed upon  Eebekah's  children  even  in  their  mother's 
womb.  God's  thoughts,  which  are  far  above  men's  thonglits, 
are  here  ordering  everything.  Birth  of  the  twins,  vv.  2J:-26  : 
11^671  then  her  days  vxre  fulfilled  to  he  delivered,  hchold  there 


134  GENESIS  XXV.  24-27. 

were  tivins  in  her  womb.  And  the  first  came  forth  ruddy 
quite  like  a  hairy  garment,  and  they  called  his  name  Esau. 
Afterwards  his  brother  came  forth,  his  hand  holding  to  Esaiis 
heel,  and  his  name  was  called  Jaakoh,  and  Isaac  icas  sixty 
years  old  at  their  hirth.  The  twins  are  here  called  DOin, 
contracted  from  D''!pisri  xxxviii.  27,  comp.  ©(o/xaq  =  NOin, 
The  first-born  appeared  ''?i?2ix,  i.e.  with  flesh  of  a  red- 
brown  colour  (comp.  1  Sam.  xvi.  12,  xvii.  42),  and  quite 
'^^'^!  n"?.?.^?  (Zech.  xiii.  4  comp.  Heb.  xi.  37),  i.e.  as  to 
his  whole  body  like  a  mantle  (from  1*1X  ami^lum  esse) 
covered  with  hairs  (from  "iyb>  horrcrc,  to  bristle,  comp.  hirtus, 
hirsutus,  rough),  an  anomalous  luxuriance  of  hair  (Hyper- 
trichosis), which  sometimes  occurs  in  the  newly  born,  here, 
as  was  also  the  darker  colour  of  the  skin,  a  prognostic  of 
bodily  strength  and  fierceness.  In  "^Vi^  here  and  xxvii. 
11,  23,  there  may  be  an  allusion  to  the  national  name  IT^', 
but  no  actual  line  of  connection  is  drawn.  The  second 
born  made  his  appearance  holding  the  heel  of  his  brother, 
with  his  hand  held  above  his  head.  We  are  not  told  that  it 
was  thus  in  his  mother's  womb  (a  position  of  twins  hardly 
possible),  but  that  he  followed  his  brother  with  this  movement 
of  the  hand.  They  called  (^^T'l)  the  one  VC'V,  the  hairy,  the 
other  they  called  {^y^"}.  as  at  xxxv.  8,  xxxviii.  29  sq.)  3py!, 
the  heel-holder,  i.e.  the  crafty  (comp.  Hos.  xii.  4).  Eeifmann, 
referring  to  the  interchange  of  y  and  3  in  Galilean-Samaritan, 
explains  %'V  as  "  the  covered  over,"  from  nb'y  =  np3  ;  but  the 

Arabic  ^J>s.\  hirsutus^  makes  the  existence  of  a  verb  nc'y  (^'^V)> 
to  be  hairy,  probable,  w^hence  is  formed  Vu'y  after  the  forma- 
tion 33j;,  like  ">"]!?.  and  331.  Isaac  was  sixty  years  old,  and 
had  L'juce  been  married  twenty  years,  when  they  were  born 
(Dnx  rrh'2.  without  a  subject:  at  their  birth, Ew.  §  304a,  comp. 
nip^nn,  when  one  bears,  iv.  18).  The  different  characters  of 
the  two  brothers,  ver.  2  7  :  And  the  hoys  greiv,  and  Esau  was  a 

^  Notwithstanding  the   anomalous   change   of  b'  and  ^Jlj  (Aramaic  n),  see 
rieischer  on  Levy's  Neuhtbr.  WB.  iii.  732. 


GENESIS  XXV.  28-30.  135 

vnan  skilled  in  hunting,  a  man  of  the  field,  hut  Jacob  an  amiable 
man,  dioelling  in  tents.  Esau  appears  also  as  a  sportsman 
under  the  name  of  Ova-coo^;  in  riiocnician  legends.  DJJi  t^^N 
is  here  not  so  much  the  praise  of  piety,  as  the  designation  of 
natural  temperament :  a  perfect  and,  because  love  is  the  bond 
of  perfectness,  a  kind  and  amiable  man  (comp.  the  ancient 
Arab.  ^\j,  used  of  loving  devotion),  not  wandering  about  as 
a  hunter  in  the  open  field,  but  dwelling  in  tents  as  a  shep- 
herd (iv,  20).  Eelation  of  their  parents  to  them,  ver.  28: 
And  Isaac  loved  Esau,  because  he  relished  venison,  and  Rebekah 
loved  Jacob.  The  former  was  the  favourite  of  Isaac  because 
venison  was  in  his  mouth,  i.e.  because  he  often  ate  and  liked 
it ;  the  latter  was  the  favourite  of  Eebekah,  who  was  better 
pleased  with  his  quiet,  gentle  and  thoughtful  disposition,  than 
with  the  boisterous,  wild,  clumsy  Esau.  The  fatal  lentil 
pottage,  vv.  29,  30  :  And  Jacob  sod  iwttage,  then  came  Esau 
from  the  field  and  he  ivas  faint.  And  Esau  said  to  Jacob :  Oh 
let  me  swallow  of  the  red,  the  red  there,  for  I  am  faint — therefore 
his  name  was  called  Edam.  Another  motive  for  the  name  Dn?^ 
(the  red-brown)  was  perhaps  hinted  at  in  V^^l^ ;  the  designa- 
tion is  expressly  based  only  upon  onx,  that  red,  i.e.  yellow- 
brown  lentil  pottage  ^olvckIBiov.  Elsewhere  too,  e.g.  among 
the  Arabs  (comp.  Abulfeda's  hist,  antcislamica  and  Wetzstein's 
inscriptions  in  the  Transactions  of  the  Berlin  Academy,  1863, 
pp.  335-337),  innumerable  names  have  a  similarly  accidental 
origin,^  and  he  who  finds  it  impossible  that  the  fortunes  of  a 
nation  should  for  a  thousand  years  be  connected  with  a  dish 
of  lentils,  if  he  will  only  look  into  the  history  of  the  world, 
and  especially  of  the  East,  will  not  look  in  vain  for  parallels. 
Lentils  (adas)  are  and  were  a  favourite  dish  in  Syria  and 
Egypt ;  besides  Esau  was  hungry,  so  that  the  appetizing  meal 
('T'lJ,  a  noun  formed  from  the  verb  ■'7,  Hij^h.  'T'?[',  with  the 

^  If  a  Bedouin  girl  is  born  at  night,  she  is  called  Lcla  ;  if  wlien  snow  is  falling, 
she  is  called  Thelga  ;  if  her  mother's  eye  encountered  at  her  birth  a  swarm  of 
ants,  she  is  called  Nimla,  etc. 


136  GENESIS  XXV.  31-34. 

preformative  na  common  in  Assyrian,  and  witli  the  retention 
of  the  characteristic  middle  sound),  pleasant  to  sight  and 
smell,  was  a  trial  to  his  self-denial,  to  which  he  was  unequal. 
Jacob  profits  by  his  moment  of  weakness,  vv.  31—33  :  Then 
Jacob  said :  Sell  me  first  of  all  thy  hirthright  !  And  Esau  said : 
Behold,  I  am  about  to  die,  and  of  what  use  is  the  hirthright  to 
me  ?  And  Jacob  said :  Then  first  swear  to  me,  and  he  swore  to 
him,  and  sold  his  birthright  to  Jacob.  The  hardly  translateable 
Di»3  means  just  now,  first  of  all,  before  all  else,  comp.  1  Sam. 
ii.  16,  1  Kings  i.  51,  xxii.  5.  Esau  consents  to  the  bargain, 
profanely  preferring  (Heb.  xii.  16)  the  palpable  and  present 
to  the  unseen  and  future.  Jacob's  cheap  payment,  ver.  34: 
And  Jacob  gave  Esau  bread  and  lentil  'pottage,  he  ate  and 
dranh  and  rose  up  and  went  away,  and  Esau  despised  his  birth- 
right, i.e.  he  thought  no  more  about  it,  till  he  saw  too  late 
how  foolishly  he  had  acted.  The  nnbs  generally  consists  in 
the  right  to  the  larger  portion  of  the  inheritance,  xlviii.  19, 
xlix.  3,  Deut.  xxi.  17,  but  we  do  not  see  Jacob  afterwards 
lay  claim  to  anything  of  the  kind.  In  this  instance  it  is  the 
claim  to  the  cnnas  ri3"i3  in  the  sense  of  xxviii.  4,  and  the 
princely  and  priestly  prerogative  involved  in  it,  for  which 
Jacob  is  concerned.  "  Before  the  tabernacle  was  erected  " — 
says  the  Mishna  Scbachim  xiv.  4 — "  the  Bamoth  (local  sanctu- 
aries) were  permitted,  and  the  Abodah  (the  priestly  office)  was 
with  the  first-born ;  but  after  the  erection  of  the  tabernacle 
(the  central  sanctuary)  the  Bamoth  were  forbidden  and  the 
Abodah  was  with  the  Cohanim."  Jerome  thus  correctly 
reports  as  Jewish  tradition,  hwc  (viz.  the  saccrdotium)  esse 
primogenita  qnm  Esau  frairi  suo  vendiderit  Jacob.  In  a  word  : 
the  first-born  is  the  head  of  the  patriarchal  family,  and  the 
right  of  the  first-born  includes  the  representative  privileges 
derived  from  this  exalted  position.  Esau's  forfeiture  of  these 
privileges  is,  according  to  Eom.  ix.  (comp.  Mai.  i.  2  sq.),  a 
work  of  free  Divine  election,  but  not  without  being  at  the 
same  time,   as    this    narrative    shows,  the    result    of    Esau's 


GENESIS  XXVI.  137 

voluntary  self-degradation.  As  Ishmael  had  no  claim  to  tlie 
blessing  of  the  first-born,  because  begotten  KaTo,  adpKa,  so  does 
Esau,  though  not  begotten  Kara  adpKa,  forfeit  the  blessing  of 
the  first-born,  because  minded  Kara  adpica.  The  unbrotherly 
artifice  of  Jacob  is  indeed  also  sinful,  and  we  see  this  one  sin 
ju'cduce  first  the  sin  of  deceiving  his  aged  father,  before  whom 
Jacob  did  not  venture  to  assert  his  purchased  claim  to  the 
blessing,  and  then  penal  consequences  of  every  kind.  By 
reason  however  of  the  fundamental  tendency  of  his  mind 
towards  the  promised  blessing,  Jacob  is  the  more  pleasing  to 
God  of  the  two  brothers  ;  hence  his  sin  itself  must  contribute 
to  the  realization  of  the  Divine  counsel,  and  his  dishonour 
to  the  glorification  of  Divine  crrace. 


VARIED  CONFIRMATION  OF  THE  PROMISE  TO  ISAAC,  CIT.  XXVI. 

The  second  portion,  ch.  xxvi.,  tells  us  of  Isaac's  joys  and 
sorrows  during  the  period  of  his  Philistine  sojourn,  and  thereby 
gives  us  a  picture  of  his  life  in  general — a  life  bearing  the 
relation  of  a  copy  to  that  of  Abraham,  but  also  made  illustrious 
by  appearances  of  God  (vv.  2,  24),  and  thus  maintained  at  the 
patriarchal  level.  The  narrator  is  J,  in  whose  work  this  mosaic 
of  matters  concerning  Isaac  perliaps  preceded  the  birth  of  the 
twin  children.  This  narrator  is  announced  by  the  Divine 
name  mn\  the  continuations  of  the  promise  that  the  nations 
shall  be  blessed  in  the  seed  of  the  patriarch,  4&,  comp.  xxii.  18, 
the  series  'n  O'li'^  i<ip"'l  in  ver.  25,  and  by  other  particuLars. 
Both  diction  and  matter  however  point  in  many  respects  to 
^,  c.^.  nili*  vV  32a,  and  the  mention  of  Phicol  with  Abimelech 
ver.  26  comp.  xxi.  22,  hence  the  source  may  more  correctly 
be  designated  as  JE  {i.e.  J  with  matter  from  E  worked  into 
it).  In  vv.  1-6  Dillmann  thinks  he  can  even  separate  from 
each  other  the  elements  belonging  respectively  to  J  and  E. 
Undoubtedly  ver.  5   in  this  passage  is  from  the  hand  of  the 


138  GENESIS  XXVI.  1-6. 

Deuteronomist.      It  has  a  special  connection  with  the  closing 
portion,  xxvi.  34  sq.      1.  Eenewal  of  the  pkomise  inGeeak, 
xxvi.  1-6  :  And  there  arose  a  famine  in  the  land,  Reside  the 
former  one,  lohich  arose  in  the   days  of  Abraham,  and   Isaac 
went  unto  Abimclech,  king  of  Gerar.     And   Jahvch  appeared 
unto  him  and  said :  Go  not  down  into  Egypt,  remain  in  the 
land  that  I  vnll  tell  thee.     Sojourn  in  this  land,  and  I  will  he 
with  thee  and  bless  thee,  for  to  thee  and  to  thy  seed  ivill  I  give  all 
these  lands  and  fulfil  the  oath  ivhich  I  swore  to  thy  father 
Abraham,  and  I  ivill  increase  thy  seed  as  the  stars  of  heaven, 
and  ivill  give  to  thy  seed  all  these  lands,  and  in  thy  seed  shall 
all  the  nations  of  the  earth  bless  themselves,  for  a  reward  that 
Abraham  obeyed  my  bidding  and  observed  my  precept,  my  com- 
mandments, my  statutes  and  my  instructions.      Tlien  Isaac  dwelt 
in  Gerar.      xii.  10  is  referred  to  by  'l31  l?fP  (in  meaning  = 
I'p  nn^) ;  the  narrator  as  here  is  there  J,  the  reference  however 
is  surely  an  addition  of  Eb.     The  facts  related  resemble  each 
other  as  to  matter.     The  famine   directs   Isaac's   as  well   as 
Abraham's  view  to  Egypt,  the  granary  of  the  Holy  Land  in 
sucli  cases,  and  he  journeys  on  the  road  thither  first  to  Gerar 
(three  leagues  south  of  Gaza  in  the   broad  and   deep  'Gurf 
el- Gerar  where  Eowlands  discovered  ruins).     This  district  was 
still  governed  by  a  king  who  had  been  on  friendly  terms  with 
Abraham,  ch.  xx.  21,  22   sqq.,  and  who  bears  here  the  title 
n^riC'^3  Tjpp  which  was  missing  in  the  text  of  E.     Arrived  in 
Gerar,  Isaac  receives  Divine  direction  to  pursue  his  journey 
towards  Egypt  no  farther,  but  to  remain  (p^)  in  the  land 
which  God  points  out  to  him :  he  is  to  sojourn  in  the  land 
where  he  now  is,  viz.  Philistia  (niiu,  the  standing' word  for  the 
sojourning  of  the  patriarchs  in  Canaan  and  Philistia)  ;    at  the 
same  time  the  fulfilment  of  the  oath  by  which  God  confirmed 
His  promises  to  Abraham  upon  Moriah  is  assured  to  him,  and 
indeed  for  the  sake  of  Abraham's  obedience.     The  relation  both 
in  diction  and  matter  to  xxii,  15-18  is  unmistakeable.      But 
there  is  in  vv.  2-5  many  a  token  of  the   interposition   of  a 


GENESIS  XXVI.  7-11.  139 

more  recent  liand.^  The  expression  ^xn  niv^Nri~73"nx,  i_e. 
Canaan  proper  with  the  neighbouring  lands,  is  peculiar  (comp. 
bxTj";  nii'-ix  in  1  Chron.  xiii.  2,  2  Chron.  xi.  23);  ^^^  is  here 
no  archaism,  but  an  abbreviation  of  the  original  ^^'^  (see  on 
xix.  8).  The  combination  "'nhini  ""riipn  \ni>'jp  has  a  Deuteronomic 
ring  (the  plur.  ninin  however  occurs  only  Ex.  xvi.  28,  xviii. 
16,  20,  Lev.  xxvi,  46,  and  not  in  Deuteronomy),  Abraham's 
performance  of  the  obedience  due  to  God  being  thus  divided 
according  to  the  language  of  subsequent  legislation.      2.   Prk- 

SERVATION   OF    THE    PATRIARCH'S    WIFE    IN    GeRAR,  XXvi.   7-11. 

It  is  conceivable  that  what  is  here  related  may  have  taken 
place  in  the  period  preceding  the  birth  of  the  twin  children, 
and  may  be  introduced  here  retrospectively  in  an  appropriate 
connection.  But  this  is  unnecessary,  for  it  is  found  now  as 
formerly  that  a  woman  m^iybe  still  seductively  beautiful,  even 
after  she  has  borne  children.  Her  cowardly  exposure,  ver.  7  : 
And  the  people  of  the  place  asked  him  concerning  his  wife,  and  he 
said :  She  is  my  sister,  for  he  feared  when  he  thought :  Let  not 
ptcople  of  this  place  Tcill  me  for  the  sake  of  Behekah,  for  she  is 
fair  to  look  on.  The  h  after  ^x*J^  is  that  of  relation,  and  there- 
fore of  the  object  of  the  inquiry,  as  at  xxxii.  30,  xliii.  7,  comp. 
^N  and  ^  after  -iCN  xx.  2,  1 3,  where  also  b]}  (on  account  of),  ver. 
3,  is  equally  used  as  here  and  at  ver.  9.  He  who  was  untruth- 
ful through  fear  of  man  is  put  to  shame,  vv.  8-11  :  And  it 
came  to  pass  when  a  long  time  had  passed  there  with  him,  that 
Ahimeleeh,  king  of  the  Philistines,  looked  through  the  window,  and 
he  saw  and  behold  Isaac  was  caressing  with  Behekah  his  wife. 
Then  Ahimeleeh  called  Isaac  and  said :  She  is  certainly  thy  wife, 
and  how  canst  thou  say  she  is  thy  sister  ?  And  Isaac  said  to  him  : 
Because  I  thought  :  Let  me  not  die  on  her  account.  Then  said 
Ahimeleeh :  What  hast  thou  done  unto  us  ?  In  a  little  one  of 
the  iKople  might  have  lain  ivith  thy  wife,  and  thou  ivoiddst  have 
brought  guilt  upon  us.     And  Ahimeleeh  commanded  the  people 

1  So  already  Hitzig,  Begriffder Kritik  (1831),  p.  169  sq. ;  comp.  £uenen,£'in{. 
(1837)  §  13,  note  31. 


140  GENESIS  XXVI.  12. 

thus :  Whosoever  toucheth  this  man  or  his  wife  shall  die  the 
death.  The  juxtaposition  of  pnvo  pn^""  sounds  like  a  play 
upon  tlie  words :  Isaac  isaacahat  cum  Bebecca  h.  e.  hlandiebatur 
uxori.  In  distinction  from  one  -  sided  playing  with  3  pnv 
nx  p^^:  means  exchanging  jests,  caresses.  Ver.  9  is  parallel  with 
XX.  9.  ^'•^i'  quomodo  is  here  equal  to  quo  jure.  With  3?^  t3j;03 
pcene  conculuissct  comp.  Ps.  Ixxiii.  2,  xciv.  17,  cxix.  87,  Prov. 
V.  14.  ^i^^[}\  has  the  tone  on  the  itlt.,  like  ^^i  22a  and  nm 
Isa.  xi.  2,  on  account  of  the  else  scarcely  audible  j;  which 
follows.  Isaac,  in  consequence  of  saying  that  Eebekah  was  his 
sister,  has  an  experience  essentially  the  same  as  that  of  Abraham 
in  Egypt  and  afterwards  in  this  very  place  Gerar.  xxvi.  7-11 
also  resembles  ch.  xx.  in  mode  of  delineation  and  tone  of  lan- 
guage. These  events  were  nevertheless  regarded  by  the  ancients 
as  different  (comp.  Ps.  cv.  14  with  chs.  xii.  and  xx.  ;  cv.  15  with 
xxvi.  11),  indeed  they  are  also  characteristically  distinguished 
from  each  other  by  the  fact,  that  Jahveh  does  not  suffer  Pie- 
bekah's  exposure  to  danger  by  the  fault  of  Isaac  to  go  so  far  as 
in  the  case  of  Sarah's  by  the  fault  of  Abraham.  The  Philistine 
king  being  here  as  in  ch.  xx.  called  "H^^""?^  suggests  the  con- 
jecture, that  this  was  a  general  name  of  Philistine  as  n'yia  was 

of  Egyptian,  iX^^^    (piur.  ^.ijiUi:)  of  Jamanite,  and  Lucumo  of 

Etrurian  kings  (comp.  1  Sam.  xxi.  11  with  Ps.  xxxiv.  1) ; 
nevertheless  it  may  perhaps  be  the  same  Abimelech  as  at 
ch.  XX.,  though  about  eighty  years  had  elapsed.  The  same 
chaste  and  God-fearing  behaviour  speaks  for  tlie  sameness  of 
person,  while  the  thought  that  he  might  himself  have  appro- 
propriated  Eebekah  being  entirely  absent  from  him,  speaks 
for    his    meantime    much     advanced    old    age.       3.  Isaac's 

INCREASED     POSSESSIONS,     WHICH      BECOME     OBJECTIONABLE     IN 

Gerar,  xxvi.  12-17.  Success  of  Isaac's  Philistinian  agricul- 
ture, ver.  1 2  :  And  Isaac  sowed  m  that  land  and  gained^  in  the 
same  year  a  hundredfold,  and  Jahveh  blessed  him.  He  obtained, 
gained  (as  Ni'»  means)  in  that  same  year,  which  followed  the  year 


GENESIS  XXVr.   13-17.  141 

of  famine,  2""!^^'  nxn  a  liimdredfolJ,  i.e.  according  to  Luke  viii.  8 
Kapirtv  eKaTovraTrXacrcova,  as  at  present  occurs  only  in  the 
"  red  earth  "  (the  lava  soil)  of  Hauran.  "VVe  see  from  this 
union  of  agricultural  with  nomadic  life  (comp.  xxxvii.  7),  not 
as  yet  found  in  the  history  of  Abraham,  that  Isaac,  encouraged 
by  the  Divine  promise,  had  set  firm  foot  in  the  land.  It  was 
not  till  their  sojourn  in  Egypt  that  tillage  and  the  rearing  of 
cattle  became  equally  pursuits  of  the  Israelites,  and  not  till 
after  the  Exodus  that  the  former  obtained  the  upper  hand. 
Isaac's  increased  prosperity  excites  envy,  vv.  13,  14  :  Ajid  the 
man  became  great  and  became  continually  greater,  till  he  became 
very  great.  And  he  possessed  herds  of  small  cattle  and  herds  of 
oxen  and  a  great  household,  so  that  the  Philistines  envied  him. 
Instead  of  the  inf.  ahsol.  -'i''^'!  2  Sam,  v.  1 0  (comp.  above,  viii. 
3,  5)  we  have  here  -'1^1  3rd  praet.  like  1  Sam.  ii.  26  in  accord- 
ance with  Josh.  vi.  13,  Isa.  xxxi.  5,  or  also  the  participial  adj. 
in  accordance  with  Judg.  iv.  24,  2  Sam.  xvi.  5.  Q"'''?p?3  is 
always  without  an  article  in  the  Pentateuch  ;  '*i"^?y  besides  here 
occurs  only  in  the  imitative  passage  Job  i.  3.  Consequences  of 
this  envy,  vv.  15—17  :  And  all  the  wells,  which  the  servants  of  his 
father  had  digged  in  the  days  of  Abraham  his  father,  the  Philis- 
tines stopped  up  and  filled  them  with  earth.  Then  Abimelcch 
said  to  Isaac :  Go  forth  from  us,  for  thou,  art  become  too  mighty 
for  us.  Then  Isaac  departed  thence  and  encamped  in  the  valley 
of  Gerar,  and  dwelt  there.  The  verbs  referring  to  the  fem.  plur. 
rinX3  have  the  suffix  ixm  instead  of  un,  the  former  being  used 
for  both  genders.  Ewald  2495,  3.  The  style  of  expres- 
sion of  ver.  15  places  its  statement  in  a  circumstantializing 
relation  to  ver.  16.  The  self-help  of  his  people  gives  occasion 
to  the  demand  of  the  king,  that  Isaac  should  depart  from  the 
district  of  Gerar.  Such  well-digging  on  the  part  of  Abraham 
is  spoken  of  xxi.  25-31.  It  is  in  accordance  with  the  character 
of  the  enduring  Isaac,  that  he  willingly  submits  and  leaves  the 
district  of  the  town  of  Gerar,  taking  up  his  abode  in  the  valley 
of  Gerar.     Here  iv   T€pdpoi<i  iv  tw   ')(^£ifidp'p(p,  Constantine, 


142  GENESIS  XXVI.  18-22. 

according  to  Sozomenus,  vi.  32,  erected  a  monastery.    4.  Isaac's 

RESTORED     AND     NEWLY    DISCOVERED     WELLS,     XXVi.      18-22. 

Eedigging  of  the  stopped  up  wells,  ver.  18  :  Aoid  Isaac  dug 
again  the  loells  of  water,  ivhich  they  had  digged  in  the  days  of 
his  father  Abraham  and  the  Philistines  had  stopped  up  after 
Abraham's  death,  and  called  them  by  names  like  the  names  by 
which  his  father  had  called  them.  Thus  the  self-help  of  the 
Philistines  had  not  been  limited  to  the  district  of  Gerar.  The 
conjunctive  form  of  the  plural  of  ">i?3  was  at  xiv.  10  ni"iX3, 
here  and  Deut.  x.  6  rihX3  like  the  chief  form.  The  subjects  of 
^"icn  are  the  1"'3X  ''"]3y  15a.  The  newly  discovered  spring,  vv. 
19,  20  :  And  the  servants  of  Isaac  ivcre  digging  in  the  valley 
and  found  there  a  spring  of  living  water.  Then  the  herdmen  of 
Gerar  strove  ivith  the  herdmen  of  Isaac,  saying:  The  water  belongs 
to  us;  therefore  he  called  the  name  of  the  spring  'Esck,  bcccmse  they 
had  contended  loith  him.  Isaac's  people  discovered  a  vein  of 
water,  which  was  not  difficult  to  lead  upwards  and  lay  hold 
on  (see  my  discussion  on  such  desert  springs  in  Luthardt's 
Zcitschr.  1882,  p.  454  sq.).  P'^'I^  means  contention;  the  verb 
pC'j?  (post-biblical  poy)  seems  related  to  ^:^'y  asfaccssere  to  facere. 
A  second  new  well,  ver.  21  :  Ajid  they  dug  another  ivcll  and 
they  strove  about  that  also,  then  he  called  its  name  Sitna,  i.e. 
enmity.  A  third  new  well,  ver.  22  :  And  he  departed  thence 
and  dug  another  well,  and  about  this  they  strove  not,  then  he 
called  its  name  Echoboth  and  said :  Truly  noio  hath  Jahveh 
made  room  for  us,  and  we  may  increase  in  the  land.  A  Wadi 
Huhaibe  was  found  by  Robinson  south-west  of  Elusa  (Chalasa) 
with  extensive  ruins  of  a  town  of  like  name  upon  a  hill ;  he 
came  from  Euhaibe  to  Chalasa  and  found  there  also  a  Wadi 
"Sutein  pointing  to  the  well  i^^^'^.  The  name  ninrn  means 
distances,  spaces  for  free  movement,  in  opposition  to  rih^  augus- 
tiae.  ■•?  in  stating  the  reason  for  the  name  is  not  merely  oVt 
recitativum,  to  which  like  the  Aramaic  ''1  e.g.  Dan.  ii.  25,  it  has 
been  certainly  diluted,  but  means,  with  a  transition  from  the 
reason-giving  meaning  to  the  confirmatory:  truly, indeed,  like  e.g. 


GENESIS  XXVI.  23-2!).  143 

xxix.  33,  Ex.  iii.  12,  iv.  25,  and  in  the  connection  HPiy  ""S,  truly 

now,  xxix.   32,  especially  in  the  apodosis  of  a  hypothetical 

prodosis :    truly  then,  so  .  .   .  now,  xxxi.  42,  xliii,   10,  Job 

iii.  13,  with  the  preterite  or  with  the  imperf.  as  at  Job  vi.  3, 

viii.  G,  xiii.  19,  comp.  TX~''3  Job  xi.  15,  according  to  the  nature 

of  the  prodosis.     5.  Isaac's  departure  fhom  the  valley  of 

Gerar  and  abode  at  Beersheba,  xxvi.  23-25  :  And  he  went 

vp  thence  to  Bcersela.     And  Jahvch  appeared  to  him  that  same 

night  and  said :  I  am  the  God  of  Abraham,  fear  not,  for  I  am 

with  thee  and  will  hless  thee  and  multiply  thy  seed  for  my  servant 

Abraham's  saJce.     Then  he  huilt  there  an  altar  and  proclaimed 

the  name  of  Jahveh  and  'pitched  his  tent  there,  and  there  Isaac's 

servant  bored  a  well.      In  Beersheba  (12  leagues  south-west  of 

Hebron),    where,    according   to   the    present    composition    of 

Genesis,  Abraham  had  dwelt  for  a  long  period  between  his  two 

sojourns  in  Hebron,  ch.  xviii.— xix.  23,  are  the  promises  made 

to  his  father  confirmed  to  Isaac.     He  there  built  an  altar, 

lield  solemn  acts  of  worship  and  there  stretched  (DtJ^'O'i)  his 

tent :  his  servants  also  bored  a  well  in  the  neighbourhood  of 

his  new  quarters.      On  the  distinction  of  the  synonyms  -iDn 

and  ma  see   my   discussion  in    Luthardt's  Zcitschr.  1882,  p. 

452.     G.  Abimelech's  covenant  with  Isaac,  xxvi.  26-33. 

This  event  of  Isaac's  life  bears  a  striking  resemblance  with 

what  is  related  in  the  life  of  Abraham,  xxi.  22  sqq.     What  is 

here  related  by  /is  strikingly  like  what  was  there  related  by  E. 

When  about  to  enter  into  a  covenant  with  Isaac,  Abimelech 

is   here  as  there   accompanied   by   Phicol,  vv.  26-29:  And 

Abimelech  ivent  to  him  from  Gerar,  and  AJmzzat  his  friend  and 

Phicol  his  captain  of  the  host.      Then  Isaac  said  to  them :    Wliy 

are  ye  come  to  me,  since  ye  hate  me  and  have  driven  me  from 

you  ?      They  said :    We  saw  plainly  that  Jahveh  is  tvith  thee, 

and  we  thought :    Let  there   now  he   an  oath  betwixt   us  and 

thee   and  ive  will  make  a   covenant  ivith  thee,  that  tho7i  unit 

do  us  no  evil,  as  we  have   not  molested   thee   and  as  we  have 

done  unto  thee  nothing  hut    good    and    have    sent    thee    aivay 


144  GENESIS  XXVI.  30-33. 

in  peace — tlioii  art  novj  the  hlessed  of  Jahvch.  The  king  has 
with  him,  beside  Phicol,  Ahuzzath  (with  the  original  fem. 
ending  like  ri;;p3,  ri^b'3  34&  and  the  like)  his  friend,  i.e.  coun- 
sellor ;  the  name  "  friend "  may  here  already  designate  not 
merely  a  personal  but  an  official  relation,  as  subsequently  at 
the  Persian  and  Eoman  imperial  courts  (perhaps  also  in  Egypt, 
if  according  to  A.  Geiger  UroXe/iaio?  = ''n!?n"a  the  brother,  i.e. 
friend,  comp.  on  xli.  43).  Here  as  at  xxi.  22  they  acknow- 
ledge and  bear  testimony  to  the  patriarch,  that  Jahveh  is 
with  him  (ixn  28a  =  ni<-i,  as  iL\n  xx.  6=Non,  see  Ges.  §  75, 
note  2).  The  declaration  on  oath  for  which  they  apply 
to  the  patriarch,  and  the  reason  for  so  doing,  are  similar  to 
xxi.  22  sq.  (nJ'X  as  a  syn.  of  nna,  like  Pent.  xxix.  11,  13, 
comp.  Ezek.  xvi.  59).  ^''^'V'^  has  here  Tsci-e  in  the  final 
syllable  as  in  only  three  other  passages,  Josh.  vii.  9  with 
Tiplichah  and  therefore  in  half  pause,  2  Sam.  xiii.  12  and  Jer. 
xl.  16,  perhaps  to  guard  against  the  confusion  of  the  first 
syllable  of  the  second  word  with  the  last  of  the  first,  see 
on  Isa,  Ixiv.  3.  The  consonance  nny  nriK  is  like  '''^V  '^xi  Ps. 
xl.  18  and  frequently.  The  conclusion  of  the  covenant,  vv. 
30,  31  :  Then  he  made  them  a  feast  and  they  ate  and  drank. 
And  they  arose  iq:)  hctimes  in  the  morning  and  stcore  to  one 
another,  and  Isaae  aceompanied.  them,  and  they  departed  from 
him  in 'pcaee.  There  is  nothing  said  of  a  covenant  repast  at 
xxi.  23,  it  finds  its  parallel  at  xxxi.  54,  but  here  as  there  the 
name  of  the  subsequent  Peersheba  originates  on  the  occasion  of 
the  covenant  by  reason  of  a  well  standing  in  connection  with  it, 
vv.  32,  33  :  And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  same  day  that  Isaac's 
servants  came  and  made  report  to  him  with  inspect  to  the  ivell 
which  they  had  digged,  and  said  to  him  :  We  have  found  water. 
Then  he  called  it  ^SiVah,  therefore  the  city  is  called  Beersch'a 
to  this  day.  The  well  with  the  boring  of  which  Isaac's  people 
were  occupied  (ver.  25)  soon  after  his  settlement  at  Beersheba 
is  here  intended.  They  now  announce  to  him  their  success, 
and  the  covenant  just  concluded  with  Abimelech  gives  occasion 


GENESIS  XXVI.  31,  35.  145 

to  Isaac  to  name  this  well  '"IV^V*.  An  oath  is  called  a  sevenin;:; 
as  being  an  asseveration  by  seven  things,  as  shown  by  tlie 
narrative  concerning  the  origin  of  the  name  of  the  town  of 
Beersheba,  xxi.  28-31,  taken  from  E,  while  the  one  now  before 
us  is  from  J.  The  similarity  of  the  two  histories  does  not 
of  itself  stamp  the  one  as  a  cojjy  of  the  other  (comp.  on  the 
contrary  e.g.  Judg.  ix.  in  relation  to  Gen.  xix.).  There  are 
many  indications,  as  we  saw  on  xxi.  31,  that  Beersheba  had 
its  name  with  relation  to  two  treaties  with  Abimelech  con- 
cerning two  wells,  the  one  made  by  Abraham,  the  other 
by  Isaac,  and  names  with  two  similar  historical  connections 
also  occur  elsewhere.  At  ver.  18  also  we  find  Isaac  preferring 
to  renew  the  old  names  of  the  wells.  It  is  indeed  difficult, 
i.e.  chronologically  difficult,  to  separate  the  two  stories,  because 
Phicol  again  appears  with  Abimelech,  whom  one  may  think 
of  at  ch.  xxi.  as  still  very  young;  Jacobus  Edessenus  takes 
the  king  and  the  captain  of  the  host  for  grandsons  of  the 
same  names.  7.  Esau's  marriages,  xxvi.  34  sq. :  And  Esau 
icas  forty  years  old,  then  he  tooh  to  wife  Jchudith  the  davyhtcr  of 
Bceri  the  Hittite  and  Basmath  the  daughter  of  Eton  the  Hittitc. 
And  they  vjere  a  grief  of  heart  to  Isaac  a.nd  Rehehah,  properly 
a  bitterness  of  spirit  (iTib  =  morra  Prov.  xiv.  10),  i.e.  a  cause 
of  bitterness  of  feeling.  In  the  nnbin  of  Esau  ch.  xxxvi.  their 
names  and  those  of  their  fathers,  as  also  that  of  Esau's  third 
wife,  xxviii.  9,  are  given  somewhat  differently  from  those  in 
our  present  Jehovistic  portion,  without  however  their  identity 
being  lost.  It  is  striking  that  n"'*iin"|  (a  patronymic  from 
iTi^n""  praise)  appears  here  (against  xxxvi.  2)  so  early  as  a 
Canaanite  name.  Tlie  formation  nob'3  here  and  xxxvi.  3 
(comp.  above  WS  and  xxviii.  9  n^np)  is  an  ancient  principal 
form  of  the  feminine.  The  terminations  i^j-^,  'i-^,  a^ 
represent  three  successive  periods  of  the  language  {DMZ.  xvi. 
160).  The  most  obvious  explanation  of  the  difference  between 
xxvi.  34  sq.,  xxviii.  9  and  xxxvi.  would  be  to  adopt  the  view 
that  the  narrator  is  here  J  and  there  Q.  There  is  much  to 
VOL.  II.  K 


146  GENESIS  XXVII. 

favour  this  :  tlie  marriage  of  Esau  in  his  fortieth  year  is  similar 
to  Isaac's  in  his  fortieth  year,  the  exclamation  of  Eebekah 
xxvii.  46&  to  her  exclamation  xxv.  22a,  and  nn  nin  might 
also  have  been  once  written  by  J,  especially  as  in  the  passage 
xxviii.  1-8,  which  is  in  any  case  Qs,  iV^S  nm  is  said  for  it. 
But  xxviii.  8  cannot  be  separated  from  xxviii.  9  of  which  it 
is  the  premiss,  and  'i''t:^:~7V  xxviii.  9  points  back  to  xxvi.  34  sq., 
so  that  in  fact  xxvi.  34  sq.,  xxvii.  46,  xxviii.  1-9  must  be 
attributed  to  the  same  author  and  hence  to  Q.  Consequently 
the  wives'  names  are  here  given  according  to  the  wording  of 
the  text  of  Q,  and  the  fact  that  they  nevertheless  run  differ- 
ently in  the  Toledoth  of  Esau,  which  is  as  to  its  foundation 
derived  from  Q,  obliges  us  to  adopt  the  view  that  B  there 
inserted  them  from  another  source,  in  accordance  with  his 
principle  of  preserving  two  differing  traditions  and  not  violently 
reconciling  them.  In  the  mosaic  ch.  xxvi.,  ver.  34  sq.  forms,  in 
the  present  form  of  the  composition,  the  concluding  portion. 
Through  all  these  seven  short  histories  from  the  first  forty 
years  of  the  independent  story  of  Isaac's  life,  there  runs  like 
a  thread  the  purpose  of  showing  how  Isaac  also,  though  less 
sreat  in  action  than  in  endurance,  nevertheless  came  under  the 
blessing  and  protection  of  Jahveh,  honourably  through  all  com- 
plications, and  rose  to  more  and  more  wealth  and  respect.  His 
life  is  an  echo  of  the  life  of  Abraham.  All  its  vibrations 
arise  from  the  powerful  impulses  given  in  the  life  of  Abraham. 
Nevertheless  the  son  of  promise  is  not  unworthy  of  his  father. 
He  manifests  in  "  elasticity  of  endurance  "  (Kurtz)  a  special 
greatness,  which  has  been  transmitted  as  an  ineradicably 
tenacious  vital  faculty  to  the  nation  descended  from  him. 

JACOB  OBTAINS  BY  CEAFT  THE  BLESSING  OF  THE  FIRST-BOKN, 
CH.  XXVII.  1-40. 

This  third  portion  also  gives  us  an  equally  double-sided 
picture  of  Isaac :  he  shows  himself  weak,  passive  and  pliable 


GENESIS  XXVII.  1-4.  147 

in  the  hands  of  men,  but  elevated  and  inwardly  profound, 
and  at  last  obedient  to  God  alone  and  strong  in  Him.  The 
narrative  is  composed  of  the  accounts  of  J  and  E  worked 
into  each  other  and  completed  from  each  other  by  B.  This 
is  seen  from  the  two  ^i^?!!^"'.^  one  of  which  23Z*  follows  the 
testing  by  touch,  the  other  27a  the  testing  by  smell ;  from 
the  two  equivalent  '•n''"!  30a;  from  ver.  34  sq.  in  relation  to 
vv.  36-38  with  the  twice  told  outburst  of  grief  on  the  part 
of  Esau ;  from  the  reiterated  "  until  thy  brother's  fury  turn 
away,"  445,  45a.  The  aged  father  makes  preparations  for  the 
blessing  of  the  first-born,  vv.  1-4  :  And  it  came  to  pass,  when 
Isaac  was  old  and  Ids  eyes  had  hecome  dull  of  sight,  that  he 
called  Esau  Ms  elder  son  and  said  to  him:  My  son!  And  he 
said:  Here  am  I.  He  said:  Behold  lam  old,  I  know  not  the 
day  of  my  death.  Tahe  then,  I  pray  thee,  thy  weapons,  thy 
quiver  and  thy  hoio,  and  go  out  into  the  field  and  hunt  me 
venison,  and  make  me  a  savoury  dish  such  as  I  love,  and  hring 
it  me,  that  I  may  eat,  that  my  soid  may  hlcss  thee  before  I  die. 
The  occurrence  falls,  according  to  xxv.  26,  xxvi,  34,  in  a 
period  when  Isaac  had  already  passed  his  100th  and  his  sons 
their  40th  year.  The  principal  sentence  introduced  by  ^^ii  is 
continued  with  K"^i^'\  The  i^njjf.  cons,  designates  his  dulness 
of  sight  as  a  result  of  his  having  grown  old.  The  IP  of  riixiQ  is 
the  negative  (away  from  seeing),  like  xvi.  2,  xxiii,  6.  vlii  is  the 
quiver  (n^V^)  with  a  shoulder-belt,  a7ra^7e7p., forming  together 
with  the  bow  the  usual  hunting  equipment  (Isa.  vii.  24). 
For  ^>*  the  Chethih  has  HTV  commonly  used  in  the  general 
meaning  of  diet,  but  here  quite  appropriate  as  a  nomen 
unitatis.  The  weak  side  of  Isaac's  preference  for  Esau  is 
here  betrayed,  in  that  he  desires  the  dish  of  game,  which  he 
is  fond  of  (^i^X  vv.  4,  9,  14),  not  only  for  the  sake  of  enjoying 
it,  but  that  his  son  may,  before  he  blesses  him  as  a  father, 
show  the  willing  obedience  of  child-like  affection.  In  Arabic 
a  present  is  plainly  called  tdbarruk  as  the  means  of  obtain- 
ing a  blessing.     Hereupon  Eebekah  urges   Jacob  to   obtain 


148  GENESIS  XXVII.  5-13. 

liis  father's  blessing,  by  bringing  him  a  spurious  dish 
of  savoury  meat,  vv.  5-10  :  And  Rehchah  heard  ivlun  Isaac 
spake  to  Esau  his  son,  and  Esau  went  to  the  field  to  Mint  for 
venison,  to  hring  it.  And  Behekah  said  to  Jacob  her  son : 
Behold,  I  have  heard  thy  father  speak  unto  Esau  thus :  Bring 
me  venison  and  make  me  a  savoury  dish,  that  I  may  eat,  and  I 
will  hless  thee  before  Jahveh,  before  my  death.  And  now,  my 
son,  hear^ken  to  my  voice  in  what  I  bid  thee  do.  Go  now  to  the 
fiock  and  fetch  me  thence  two  young  goat-kids,  and  I  icill  make  of 
them  a  savoury  dish  for  thy  father  such  as  he  loveth.  And  thou 
shall  bring  it  to  thy  father,  that  he  may  eat,  and  bless  thee 
before  his  death.  It  is  not  without  emphatic  meaning  tliat 
Esau  is  called  Isaac's,  and  Jacob  Eebekah's  sou.  Instead  of 
N^an^  the  LXX.  has  suitably  V3N^  (for  his  father),  but  the 
former  cannot  be  criticized  either  as  to  matter,  see  vv.  4,  7, 
nor  as  to  syntax  (on  account  of  the  missing  suffix,  comp.  31a, 
Jer.  xli.  5).  '"^  ""i??  7a  is  important  and  not  pleonastic. 
Kebekah  knows  that  it  is  done  in  the  presence  of  Jahveh, 
and  therefore  with  divine  reality,  with  prophetic  power. 
The  h  of  "'t:'t57  8b  is  not  that  of  the  norm  but  that  of 
reference,  Ges.  §  123.  2.  V.l?  from  ^']3  is  inflected  just 
like  V.n^'  from  "'n?  (Backe).  Jacob's  objection  appeased, 
vv.  11—13:  Then  Jacob  said  to  Bcbekah  his  mother:  Behold, 
Esau  is  a  hairy  man  and  I  am  a  smooth  man,  perhaps  my 
father  luill  feel  me,  and  I  shall  seem  to  him  a  mocker  and  bring 
iipon  myself  a  curse  and  not  a  blessing.  And  his  mother  said  to 
him :  I  take  thy  curse  upon  me,  my  son  ;  only  hearken  to  my 
voice  and  go  fetch  {them)  me.  V'^V'^'^P  does  not  mean  "  a 
deceiver,"  but  contempt  is  here  combined  with  the  deceit,  the 
kind  of  deceit  being  like  a  joke  played  upon  an  aged  father. 
Jacob  fears,  if  detected,  to  bring  upon  himself  a  curse  and  not  a 
blessing.  Eebekah  however  replies  decidedly  :  Let  the  curse 
thou  meetest  lie  upon  me,  I  will  bear  it  and  its  consequences 
— a  proof  that,  notwithstanding  the  impure  means  by  which 
she  incurred  guilt,  she  yet  leaned  upon  the  word  of  promise, 


GENESIS  XXVII,  14-23.  149 

and  now  when  tins  was  threatened  with  frustration,  was 
willing  at  any  cost  to  promote  its  fulfilment.  Preparation  for 
the  deception  thus  planned,  vv.  14-17  :  Then  Rcbekah  tooh  the 
garments  of  Esau  her  elder  son,  the  costly  ones,  ivhieh  she  'kci)t 
in  the  house,  and  clothed  Jacob  her  younger  son.  And  the  sJcins  of 
tJie  kids  she  'put  upon  his  hands  and  upon  the  smooth  of  his  ncclc, 
and  gave  the  savoury  dish  and  the  bread  vjhich  she  had  prepared 
into  the  hand  of  Jacob  her  son.  nn  may,  according  to  2  Chron. 
XX.  25,  be  repeated,  as  the  governing  word  before  ri'^'PHj] 
(garments  of  the  desired  one,  i.e.  such  as  are  the  object  of  desire), 
or  we  may,  according  to  Lev.  vi.  20  (where  ^^|i  is  construed 
as  a  fern.),  take  it  as  an  adj.  (Eeggio :  gli  ahiti  piit,  prcziosi). 
n^nn  means  at  home,  within  ^\}^'^,  which  however  is  not  so 
usual,  as  the  opposite  of  '^'!J.^'?  (xxxiv.  5)  would  be  more 
accurate.  Vim  is  the  inflected  form  of  the  dual  which  does 
not  occur  in  the  principal  form,  and  means  the  fore  and  hind 
parts  of  tlie  neck.  Jacob  begins  to  carry  out  the  plot,  vv. 
18-20:  And  he  came  to  his  fcdher  and  said :  ^fy  father,  and 
he  said :  Here  am  I,  \oho  art  thou,  my  son  ?  Then  Jacob  said 
unto  his  father  :  I  am  Esau,  thy  first-born,  I  have  done  as  thou 
saidst  unto  me;  rise  up  then,  sit  and  eat  of  my  venison,  that  thy 
sold  may  bless  me.  And  Isaac  said  to  his  son :  How  hast  thou 
found  it  so  quickly,  my  son  ?  And  he  said :  Because  Jahveh 
thy  God  favoured  me.  The  construction  ^'^p?  ^"TP  is  like 
xxvi.  18,  xxxi.  27.  Ges.  §  142.  2.  On  ^:a^  r^yr)  see  on  xxiv.  12. 
The  test  by  feeling,  vv.  21-23:  Then  Isaac  said  to  Jacob: 
Come  near,  I  fray  thee,  that  I  may  feel  thee,  my  son,  whether 
thou  there  be  my  son  Esau  or  not.  Then  Jacob  came  near  to 
Isaac  his  father,  and  he  felt  hhn  and  said :  Tlie  voice  is  Jacob's 
voice  and  the  hands  Esau's  hands,  and  he  discerned  him  not,  for 
his  hands  were  hairy  as  his  brotlicr  Esau's  hands,  so  he  blessed 
him.  The  interrogative  n  in  nri»<n  has  Pathach,  as  also  Judg. 
vi.  13  must  be  pointed.  HT  nrij^  nieans,  thou  whom  I  have 
there  before  me.  'i'^?!'.2'l  is  in  the  present  connection  an 
anticipation  of  the  result,  since  we  are  told  farther  on  how  he 


150  GENESIS  XXVII,  24-29. 

proceeded  to  bless  him,  and  in  what  words.  Isaac  makes  a 
further  trial,  takes  the  offered  meat  and,  confirmed  by  the 
smell  of  the  garments  that  Esau  is  before  him,  prepares  to 
bless  him,  vv.  24— 27a:  And  he  said:  Art  thou  there,  my  son 
Esau  ?  And  he  said :  I  am.  And  he  said :  Bring  it  here 
to  me,  that  I  may  cat  of  my  son's  venison,  that  my  soul  may 
Ness  thee.  Then  he  brought  it  near  to  him  and  he  ate,  and  he 
hr ought  him  wine  and  he  drank.  Then  his  father  Isaac  said  to 
him.  Come  near,  I  jpray  thee,  my  son,  and  kiss  me.  Then  he  came 
near  and  kissed  him,  and  he  smelled  the  smell  of  his  garments 
and  llcssed  him  and  said.  Perplexed  by  the  voice,  which  was 
not  that  of  Esau,  Isaac  asks  again  wliether  it  is  Esau  who  is 
standing  before  him,  and  Jacob  affirms  it  with  emboldened 
composure.  The  psychologic  aciiteness  and  rigid  objectivity 
of  the  narrative  are  admirable.  The  deceived  father  eats  and 
drinks,  and  inaugurates  his  son  for  the  blessing  with  a  kiss  of 
grateful  affection  ('"'i^P.'']  with  -:  under  a  non-guttural  after  ^  as 
at  ii.  1 2  and  frequently,  from  P*^'3  with  p  according  to  an  ancient 
original  construction).  While  kissing  him  he  smells  the  odour 
of  his  garments.  They  were  the  garments  of  Esau  the  sports- 
man, saturated  with  the  odour  of  the  luxuriant  vegetation  of 
the  field.  The  deception  was  thus  perfect,  and  Isaac  blesses 
him  and  says : 

276  See :  The  smell  of  my  son  is  as  the  smell  of  a  field 
Which  Jahveh  has  blessed, 

28  And  GOD  will  give  thee  of  the  deiv  of  heaven 
And  of  the  fatness  of  the  earth, 

And  corn  and  wine  in  plenty. 

29  Peoples  shall  serve  thee 

And  nations  boio  down  to  thee. 

Be  lord  over  thy  brethren, 

And  thy  mother's  sons  shall  bow  doicn  to  thee. 

Cursed  be  they  that  curse  thee, 

And  blessed  be  they  that  bless  thee  ! 

The  odour  of  the  garments  gives  rise  to  the  first  thought  of 
the  blessing,  it  is  the  God-blessed  Paradisaic  plains  of  the 
Promised  Land  that  appear  before  the  mind's  eye  of  Isaac,  and 


GENESIS  XXVII.  27-2D.  151 

his  son  seems  to  him  to  be  scented  witli  the  perfume  of  this 
his  inheritance  (Hos.  xiv.  7).  It  is  true  that  God  the  Creator 
is  also  called  nin""  {e.g.  Ps.  civ.  16),  but  here  where  we  find 
ver.  28  wrh^r^  used,  the  reason  for  the  change  is,  that  the 
plains  of  Canaan,  which  are  blessed  by  the  God  of  the  history 
of  redemption,  are  the  subject  of  thought.  Heaven  and  earth 
are  to  dispense  their  mingled  powers,  the  former  its  dew,  the 
latter  the  soil  of  its  most  fruitful  tracts,  to  produce  an  abund- 
ance of  the  noblest  products,  corn  (edible  grain)  and  wine. 
Although  ''30p')p  has  a  non-dageshed  Shin,  it  is  nevertheless, 
as  also  it  is  here  and  there  pointed,  the  same  as  ".^pti''?,  parallel 
with  bm,  comp.  DkJ^p  XXV.  23,  ^'^'^'^  for  D'riU'P  Jonali  iv.  11, 
perhaps  also  V"i30p=V-i3?3n  Deut.  xviii.  8.  "'.^Oi;'  is  a  plural  to 
be  referred  not  to  1^^  but  to  \0'C'=]ipu  (whence  Q'?^*^  loca 
jnnguid),  and  formed  like  D"'ji??ip,  nippn — "a^L'-b  with  a  formative 
Mem  would  not  indeed  be  inadmissible,  but  has  the  parallelism 
against  it  both  here  and  ver.  29.  After  pointing  to  a  land 
loaded  with  abundant  blessings  by  Jahveh,  the  blessing  rises 
to  the  future  position  in  tlie  world  of  him  whom  it  con- 
cerns. It  passes  far  beyond  the  limits  of  the  person  of  Jacob  and 
the  immediate  future,  gives  to  him  who  receives  it  and  to  his 
seed  supremacy  and  exaltation  above  the  nations  both  kindred 
and  remote,  and  makes  the  relation  of  God  to  them  con- 
ditional on  the  relation  they  take  up  to  him  and  to  his  seed. 
It  is  the  blessing  of  Abraham  transmitted  from  Abraham  to 
Isaac  (xii.  7  and  elsewhere  xx.  1 7,  xii.  3),  which  Isaac  by  the 
spirit  of  prophecy  and  in  poetic  diction  here  bestows  upon  his 
son.  "^^33  after  the  formation  of  the  Aramaic  2Mrt.  2)ass.  occurs 
only  here  (comp.  the  ref.  37a).  The  Chctliih  "innC'M  is  rightly 
interpreted  by  the  Kcri :  it  is,  as  at  xliii.  28,  an  incorrectly 
defective  writing.  As  ^^W  and  D'»xb  are  interchangeable 
words  without  any  difference  of  conception,  so  too  do  T'nx  and 
1'?^  \^ri  coincide,  comp.  Ps.  1.  20,  Ixix.  9,  while  on  the  other 
hand  Lev.  xviii.  9,  Cant.  i.  6  speak  without  parallehsm  of 
step-brothers  and  sisters.     Tlie  construction  of  the  plural  in 


152  GENESIS  XXVII.  30-33. 

29&  with  the  sing,  of  the  predicate  is  individualizing  or  dis- 
tributive ;  it  is  repeated  ISTum.  xxiv.  9,  comp.  e.g.  Zech.  xi.  5, 
Ges.  §  146.  4.  The  evohition  of  thought  advancing  in 
parallelism,  the  first  smooth  then  impetuous  rhythm,  the 
expressions  (the  more  unusual  nx"i  for  ^^J},  n^7  ^^^'^''y  '^••!?:  ^^^ 
r^'^T^.,  like  i^.l^  Job  xxxvii.  6  and  '1.^  Isa.  xvi.  4,  "i'3a)  and 
thoughts — everything  is  here  poetical.  The  aged  patriarch 
once  more  renews  his  youth  and  hovers  on  the  wings  of 
prophecy  over  the  new  era  which  commences  with  his  son. 

Esau  now  arrives,  Isaac  sees  through  the  deception  under 
which  he  has  suffered,  but  declares  the  blessing  imparted  to 
be  irrevocable,  vv.  30—33:  And  it  came  to  i^ass  ivlicn  Isaac 
had  finished  Messing  Jacob,  and  it  came  to  pass  ivhen  Jacob  had 
only  just  gone  out  away  from  Isaac  his  father,  that  his  brother 
Esau  came  from  his  hunting.  And  he  also  'prepared  a  savoury 
dish  and  brought  it  to  his  father,  and  said  to  his  father :  Let 
my  father  arise  and  eat  of  his  son's  venison,  that  thy  soul  may 
bless  me.  Then  Isaac  his  father  said  to  him:  Who  art  thou? 
And  he  said :  I  am  thy  son,  thy  first-born,  Esau.  Then  Isaac 
was  terrified  with  an  exceeding  great  terror  and  said :  Who 
then  ivas  it  that  took  venison  and  brought  it  me,  and  I  have 
eaten  of  all  before  thou  earnest,  and  blessed  him — blessed  also 
shall  he  be!  It  is  unmistakeable  that  in  30a  two  different 
expressions  of  one  and  the  same  thing  are  joined  together, 
the  first  from  J,  who  uses  with  preference  the  phrase  p  np3 
(xviii.  33,  xxiv.  15,  19,  xxii.  45,  xliii.  2),  the  other  therefore 
certainly  from  E  (Dillm.),  who  must  also  have  written  305, 
for  the  two  sentences  stand  in  mutual  relation  according  to 
the  scheme  of  the  contemporaneous  (comp.  on  vii.  6),  which 
here  (comp.  on  the  contrary  2  Kings  xx.  4)  strengthens  the 
expression  of  the  exactly  coincident  to  the  inf.  intens.  which 
adds  vix  exierat  Ew.  312«  (comp.  314(7),  ""n^.!!  introduces  the 
two  facts  as  simultaneous  (Driver,  §  .165).  Undeceived  to 
his  great  terror,  Isaac  would  immediately  ask  himself, 
whether    what    had    been    done    were    not   a  sinful    trifling 


GENESIS  XXVII.  rA-38.  153 

"vvitli  God's  blessing,  and  the  conviction  would  also  forth- 
with be  pressed  upon  him,  that  it  was  the  operation  of 
God  which  had  repressed  his  doubt  as  to  whether  he,  who 
was  to  be  blessed,  were  before  him  ;  and  as  it  was  now 
Jacob  and  not  Esau,  he  would  see  his  love  for  Esau,  who  had 
lost  all  higher  consecration,  condemned.  To  retract  the  blessing 
of  Jacob  seems  to  him  impossible,  for  while  blessing  he  had 
surrendered  himself  as  an  instrument  without  will  into  the 
hands  of  the  Almighty  and  All  -  knowing,  and  is  therefore 
obliged  to  acknowledge  the  indestructible  objective  power  of 
his  blessing  :  I  blessed  him  (in3"ini<l,  most  editions  errone- 
ously inanzxi),  also  he  will  remain  blessed ;  DJ  (Samar.  D3i) 
stands  first,  but  belongs  according  to  the  sense  to  ""tT'  (comp. 
1  Sam.  xxviii.  20  and  on  Job  ii.  10).  Isaac  remembers  the 
saying  of  God  xxv.  23,  which  with  the  intimacy  of  his 
marital  relation  could  not  have  been  hidden  from  him,  and 
perceives  that  Divine  Providence  has  obliged  him  against  his 
will  to  fulfil  it  to  Jacob.  Hitzig  with  the  concurrence  of 
Olshausen  corrects  :  '''"i^l  *  'H^is  22,  but  that  would  say :  I  have 
also  truly  blessed  him,  and  it  is  a  pity  to  miss  the  expres- 
sion of  unchangeableness.  It  is  more  possible  that  "tT'I  is 
with  LXX.  Samar.  to  be  inserted  before  ver.  34,  though  it  is 
perhaps  omitted  for  the  same  reason  as  at  xliv.  3,  comp. 
XV.  17.  With  a  violent  outburst  of  grief  Esau  entreats  his 
father  to  give  him  also  a  blessin",  ver.  34 :  When  Esau  heard  the 
words  of  his  father  he  raised  a  cry,  exceeding  loudly  and  hittcrh/, 
and  said  to  his  father :  Bless  me  also,  I  pray  thee,  my  father  ! 
On  ''^>?"Q3,  also  me  (like  nris-fix,  also  thee,  Prov.  xxii.  19),  see 
Ges.  §  121.  3.  The  '^^'^i.  V,?1t  is  repeated  38a  after  Isaac 
has  more  expressly  declared  the  irrevocability  of  the  blessing 
bestowed,  vv.  35—38:  Then  he  said:  Thy  Irothcr  came  ivith 
craft  and  took  away  thy  Ucssing.  And  he  said:  Is  it  that  he 
is  called  Jacob  (overreacher)  and  he  has  now  twice  overreached, 
me  ?  My  hirthright  he  took  away,  and  hchold,  he  has  nx)VJ  taken 
OAcay  my  Messing,  hast  thou  reserved  no  Messing  for  me  ?     Then 


154  GENESIS  XXVII.  39,40. 

Isaac  ansioered  and  said :  Behold,  I  have  ajypomted  him  thy 
master  and  have  given  to  him  all  his  hrethrcn  for  servants,  and 
tvith  corn  and  wine  have  I  sustained  him,  and  what  in  all  the 
world  shall  I  do  for  thee,  my  son  ?  Esau  said  to  his  father : 
Is  this  Messing  thy  only  one,  my  father  ?  Bless  me  also,  I  pray 
thee,  my  father  !  And  Esau  lifted  up  his  voice  and  wept. 
He  can  produce  no  change  of  mind  in  his  father,  fieravoia^ 
TQiTov  ovx  evpev,  Heb.  xii.  17.  The  question  with  "'^i)  (Job 
vi.  22)  stands  here,  as  at  xxix.  15,  in  a  paratactic  double 
sentence,  which  by  transposing  the  period  runs  thus :  Is  it 
because  he  bears  this  name  now  twice  come  thus  to  pass  ? 
The  denominative  npy  means  to  hold  the  heel  in  order  to  get 
before  ;  the  text.  rec.  followed  by  Ben-Asher  has  '•J^pP!!  from 
3pJ?^  Jer.  ix.  3,  Ben-Naphtali  ^J?py.'l  with  a  helping  Pathach. 
The  verb  ^rDD  is  at  37a  combined  with  a  double  accusative  as 
at  Ps.  li,  14,  as  is  also  "Jip  at  Judg.  xix.  5.  The  writing 
i^^i>  for  ^?  (only  here  in  the  Pentateuch)  is  like  the  writings 
iii.  9,  Ex.  xiii.  16.  ^^is^  in  the  interrogative  sentence  stands 
either  after  the  interrogative  word  ver.  33,  or  after  the 
prominent  word  of  the  interrogative  sentence,  comp.  Ex. 
xxxiii.  16,  Job  ix.  24,  xxiv.  25.  The  vocalization  ^^1^\1  with 
Khateph  is  similar  to  i^P^!^^  28b.  Isaac,  acceding  to  Esau's 
impetuous  request,  bestows  upon  him  also  a 'blessing,  which  is 
however  only  a  shadow  of  Jacob's  blessing,  and  at  the  same 
time  brings  upon  this  latter  blessing  a  cloud  reproving  the 
impurity  of  the  means  by  which  it  had  been  obtained, 
ver.  3  9  :  A7id  Isaac  his  father  answered  and  said  to  him  : 

Behold,  far  from  the  fat  plains  of  the  earth  shall  be  thy  dwelling. 
And  far  from  the  deiv  of  heaven  above, 
40  And  by  thy  sword  shall  thou  live 
And  serve  thy  brother. 
But  by  restlessly  struggling 
Tliou  shalt  break  his  yoke  from  off  thy  neck. 

The  first  question  of  all  is,  whether  the  two  p  have  a  par- 
titive meaning  (Meissner  in  luth.  Zeitschr.  1862)  as  in  the 
blessing  pronounced  upon  Jacob,  ver.  28  (where  it  is  at  least 


GENESIS  XXVII.  39,  40.  10  0 

assured  to  the  IP  of  ^tsp),  or  a  privative  (Keil,  Dillm.  and 
others).  For  that  the  o  of  'JD^jid  is  not  a  formative  letter,  as 
might  be  thought  from  the  present  punctuation  (cornp.  on  the 
contrary  28a  and  the  Targuras  on  our  passage),  is  here  shown 
still  more  plainly  than  at  ver.  28  by  the  parallel  ^an.  It  is 
indeed  true  that,  since  Isaac  desires  to  bestow  a  blessing  upon 
Esau,  there  is  no  necessity  for  his  denying  him  a  fruitful  land  ; 
Esau's  servitude  in  opposition  to  Jacob's  lordship  is  a  dark 
shadow  enough  in  this  supplementary  blessing.  But  there 
are  besides  linguistic  and  actual  reasons  against  the  partitive, 
and  for  the  negative  meaning.  (1)  The  mountainous  country 
of  the  Edomites  is,  as  Seetzen  says,  perhaps  the  most  barren 
and  desert  in  the  world  (on  which  account  Tyc'  can  hardly, 
with  reference  to  its  natural  condition,  be  equivalent  with  the 
Arab.  jcL'^}\  "  the  overgrown  ").  Eobinson  describes  the  hills 
in  the  west  of  the  Arabah  as  entirely  unfruitful,  the  Arabah 
itself  is  the  most  dreadful  stony  desert  to  be  met  with,  the 
plateau  east  of  Wadi  Musa  bears  the  aspect  of  being  hardly 
worth  cultivation.  Burckhardt,  who  passed  through  this 
mountainous  district  from  Maan  in  a  south-westerly  direc- 
tion, following  the  course  of  the  Wadi  Gharundd,  found  it 
entirely  barren,  and  the  declivity,  which  was  composed  of 
bare  chalk  and  sandstone,  utterly  devoid  of  vegetation.  The 
fact  that  the  mountainous  country  about  Petra  and  elsewhere 
has  been  transformed  by  skill  and  industry,  especially  by 
means  of  terrace-building  and  artificial  irrigation,  into  a  land 
of  hanging  gardens,  cannot  be  used,  as  by  Pusey  {Minor 
Prophets,  p.  144),  in  favour  of  the  partitive  sense  of  the  !'?.  The 
land  and  soil  of  Iduma^a  were  for  the  most  part  unfruitful, 
and  in  the  blessing  the  reference  to  the  country  concerned 
not  the  results  of  cultivation  but  the  natural  conditions. 
And  (2)  it  is  in  opposition  to  ver.  37  that  Isaac,  after  declar- 
ing that  he  has  already  bestowed  upon  Jacob  the  blessing  of 
superabundance  of  the  fruits  of  the  earth,  should  begin  the 
blessing  of  Esau  in  like  terms  with  that  of  Jacob.      But  (3) 


156  GENESIS  XXV II.  39,  40. 

we  have  also  in  Mai.  i.  3 :  Esau  have  I  hated,  and  made  his 
'■inountains  a  desert  and  his  inheritance  desolate  tracks,  so  far  as 
WQ,  understand  the  prophet  as  St.  Paul  does  Eom.  ix.  13  (see 
Kohler  on  the  passage),  an  ancient  testimony  to  the  privative 
meaning.  Desolation  is  the  lot  to  which  the  land  of  Edoni 
is  again  and  again  doomed  in  virtue  of  Isaac's  history-making 
word  of  prophecy,  though  art  may,  as  we  still  see  by  the  ruins  of 
the  valley  of  Petra,  have  transformed  it.  The  more  elevated  style 
of  writing  prefers  the  pregnant  use  of  p  in  the  sense  of  absque 
(2  Sam.  i.  22,  Job  xi.  15,  xix.  26,  xxi.  9,  Isa.  xxii.  3),  and 
with  respect  to  the  dilogy  (de  and  then  absque)  xl.  13,  19  sq. 
may  be  compared.  The  words :  far  from  the  dew  of  heaven 
above  (PJ?'?  elsewhere  a  prep.,  here  an  adv.  as  at  xlix.  25, 
Ps.  1.  4),  have  their  natural  truth  in  the  many  ravines  and 
depressions  of  the  Idumsean  mountains,  which  are  inaccessible 
to  the  fertilizing  dew.  Edom  is  truly  "  a  dweller  in  the  clefts 
of  the  rock,"  Obad.  ver.  3  (Jer.  xlix.  16).  Thus  the  land  of 
Esau  will  be,  as  Isaac  predicts,  a  sharp  contrast  to  the  land 
of  Jacob.  For  this  very  reason  the  peaceful  pursuit  of 
agriculture  will  not  be  his  source  of  maintenance,  but  upon 
his  sword  (^V  of  the  means  of  support  as  at  Deut.  viii.  3,  comp. 
Isa.  xxxviii.  16)  will  he  live.  Here  first  does  the  statement 
concerning  Esau  take  a  favourable  turn.  "^!f^-?  compares,  like 
Num.  xxvii,  14,  the  cause  and  result.  The  Hiph.  T"in  (from 
nn  j|i)  means  wandering  hither  and  thither,  roaming  about, 
hence  :  leading  an  unrestrained,  roving,  freebooter  kind  of  life. 
Dillra.,  according  to  the  Arabico-Ethiopic  but  (comp.  Niildeke, 
DMZ.  xxxviii.  539  sq.)  contrary  to  the  Hebrew  use  of 
language,  renders :  when  thou  shalt  strive,  exert  thyself.^ 
The  fundamental  meaning  of  the  verb  P']S  is  to  break,  frangere, 
which  here  has  the  special  meaning  to  break  off,  as  elsewhere 
to  break  loose  =  to  free  oneself  and  to  break  to  pieces  =  to 

1  The  Etlnopic  text  of  the  Book  of  Jubilees  vacillates,  as  Dillmann  has  shown 
in  his  contributions  from  the  Book  of  Jubilees  to  the  criticism  of  the  text  of  the 
Pentateuch  (delivered  in  the  Royal  Prussian  Academy  of  the  "West,  March  1,  1883), 
between  the  Masoretic  reading  T'lD  and  the  Samar.  "nXD  s»  mwjnus  foetus  funis. 


GENESIS  XXVII.  Sn,  10.  157 

criisli.      It   is    not  freedom   from  tlie   rule  of  Israel    tliat  is 
promised  to  Edom,  but  restless  and  not  unsuccessful  straggles 
for  freedom.      Edom  became  indeed  a  6opv^o)he<i  koX  aruKTov 
€0vo<i    aei   re   jxerewpov    irpt';    to,    KLvrjfxara    kuI    /j-era^oXal^; 
X^^^pov  (Joseph.  Bell.  4.  4.  1),  and  his  relation  to  Israel  was  a 
ceaseless  interchange  of  subjection,  rebellion  and  resubjection. 
An  afterpiece  of  this  change  was  still  shown  in  the  time  of  the 
IJoman  Empire :  it  continued  an  ineffaceable  obscuration  of 
the  blessing  of  Jacob,  that  it  was  an  Iduma3an  dynasty  and 
the  admission  of  the  Edomites  into  Jerusalem  when  threatened 
by  the  Eomans,  which  was  the  downfall  of  the  Jewish  State. 
Thus  were   strictly  fulfilled   the  blessings    of  Isaac   upon 
Jacob  and  Esau  which  he  spoke  irLarec  irepl  ixeXkovrcov,  Heb. 
xi.  20.     Modern  criticism  indeed  carps  at  this,  and  says  the 
author  who  wrote  xxvii.  40  knew,  according  to  its  judgment, 
not  only  of  David's   conquest  of  the  Edomites,  but  also  of 
their  revolt  against  Solomon  and  their  subjection  by  Jehoram 
of  Judah.      For  such  criticism  denies  the  truth  and  reality  of 
prediction,  and  the  entire  patriarchal  history  is   according  to 
its  notions  national  history  in  the  form  of  legendary  family 
history.       Our    standpoint    is    fundamentally'  different ;    we 
believe  in  the  power  of  a  believing,  prayerful  blessing,  when 
the  energy  of  an  intellect,  which  has   sunk   itself  in   God's 
word  of  promise  and  counsel  of  grace,  and  of  a  will  whose 
strength   is   derived    from   the    fulness    of  God,   are   therein 
comprised.     There  is  in  Isaac's  blessing  an  efficacy  which  is 
far-reaching,  a  magic  which  fashions   the  future,  God  and  his 
ego  are  therein  one  (comp.  ver.  37  with  Jer.  i.  10   and  other 
passages).       Isaac    himself    knows    this    (see    ver.    37),  and 
Rebekah    together    with    Jacob   knew    it.       Both    therefore 
think  that  they  must  at  the   decisive  moment  take  care  that 
God's  promise  shall  not  fall  to  the  ground.     But  God  has  no 
need  of  creature  help  to  make  His  faithfulness  stand.     Hence, 
though  Jacob  continues  to  be  the  possessor  of  the  blessnng  as, 
in  accordance  with  the  counsel  and  promise  of  God,  he  was 


158  GENESIS  XXVII.  30,  40. 

to  be  (Ptom.  ix.  10-13),  yet  the  Divine  judgment  falls  upon 
him  and  upon  every  member  of  his  family  in  proportion  as 
they  have  been  sharers  in  his  transgression,  Isaac  is  punished 
for  his  preference  for  Esau,  a  preference  determined  not  accord- 
ing to  the  ascertained  will  of  God,  but  according  to  natural 
affection,  by  the  deception  which  he  undergoes.  Esau  is 
punished  for  profanely  despising  the  bles':)ing  of  the  first- 
born by  its  loss.  Eebekah  is  punished  for  her  contrivance 
of  the  fraud  by  separation  from  her  favourite  son,  whom  she 
never  saw  again,  while  the  life  of  Jacob  was,  from  the  time 
when  he  confirmed  himself  in  the  possession  of  the  sinfully 
purchased  birthright  by  sinfully  and  surreptitiously  acquiring 
the  blesshig,  one  long  chain  of  hardships,  disappointments, 
strifes  and  anxieties,  which  made  him  fully  feel  how  he  had 
sinned  against  his  brother  and  father.  The  Fathers  down  to 
the  Middle  Ages  see  in  the  part  Jacob  played  in  ch.  xxvii.  an 
acting  according  to  Divine  impulse,  and,  after  mystically  im- 
porting into  ch.  xxvii.,  as  already  into  xxv.  2.3,  all  manner  of 
typical  references  to  New  Testament  matter,  pass  sentence  on 
Jacob's  fraud  in  accordance  with  the  precedent  of  Augustine : 
non  est  mcndacium  scd  viystcrium.  It  was  Duns  Scotus 
(j-  1308),  the  Doctor  suhtilis,  and  after  him  Nicolaus  de  Lyra, 
the  Doctor  planus,  who  first  recognised  its  moral  reprehensible- 
ness,  but  still  without  a  right  perception  of  the  Divine  side  of 
the  oocurrence.'  The  scriptural  account  itself  abstains  from 
all  comment — but  the  history  of  aftertimes  passes  the  severest 
criticism  upon  Jacob's  conduct.  The  government  of  God 
which  can  make  even  sin  subserve  its  purposes,  soars  so  high 
above  this  tangled  web  that,  without  infringing  human  freedom, 
nothing  comes  to  pass  but  what  He  has  foreseen  and  pre- 
determined. 

'  See  Petrus  HiJtzl,  Jakob  unci  Esau,  Typ'ik  und  Kastiisiik,  1881,  an  instruc- 
tive monograph,  which  gives  the  history  of  opinion  on  this  occurrence  and 
intelligently  seeks  to  iind  the  right  medium  between  the  patristic  7ion  est 
■mendacium  sed  mysterium  and  the  rationalistic  noti  est  mysttrium  sed 
mendackan. 


genesis  xxvii.  41-45.  159 

Jacob's  flight  to  hakan,  ch.  xxyii.  4i-xxviii.  9. 

The  fourth  portion,  xxvii.  41  to  xxviii.  9,  relates  the  flight 
or  dismissal  of  Jacob  to  Haran.  Esau  is  meditating  assassina- 
tion, ver.  41  :  And  Esau  laid  snares  against  Jacob,  because  of 
the  blessing  whereivith  his  father  had  blessed  him,  and  Esau 
said  in  his  heart :  The  days  of  mourning  for  my  father  are  near, 
then  will  I  slay  my  brother  Jacob.  Luther  (like  Bedarschi 
in  his  Synonymik)  takes  '•ax  as  the  gen.  of  the  suliject :  that 
my  father  must  bear  sorrow  (viz.  on  account  of  Jacob  when  he, 
Esau,  shall  have  avenged  himself  on  him),  but  the  gen.  follow- 
ing upon  ?2X  (p^^)  always  designates  the  object.  The  prudent 
mother  proposes  to  her  favourite  to  escape  the  vengeance  of 
his  brother  by  fleeing  to  his  uncle  in  Haran,  vv.  42-45  : 
And  the  words  of  Esau,  her  elder  son,  were  told  to  Bebehah,  then 
she  sent  and  called  her  younger  son  Jacob  and  said  to  him : 
Behold,  Esau  thy  brother  will  comfort  himself  on  thee  to  hill  thee. 
And  noio,  my  son,  hearken  to  my  voice  and  arise,  flee  to  Laban 
my  h'other  to  Haran,  and  tarry  with  him  some  time,  until  thy 
brothers  fury  turn  away  from  thee,  until  thy  brother's  v^rath 
turn  away  and  he  forget  ivJiat  thou  hast  done  to  him,  then  will 
I  send  and  fetch  thee  the^ice — lohy  should  I  be  deprived  of  you  both 
in  one  day  ?  The  Hithpa.  on^nn  means  here  (as  a  weaker  power 
of  Dl^^nn  parallel  to  the  Niph.  onp  Isa.  i.  24)  to  procure  oneself 
comfort,  rest,  satisfaction  ;  the  participial  construction  declares 
that  Esau  is  purposing  this.  Eebekah  mitigatingly  says  ?;yu.e/)a<f 
TiVa9  (LXX.  comp.  xxix.  20)  for  the  purpose  of  thus  gaining 
him  over  to  her  plan.  On  72'^  with  the  accusative  see  Ges. 
§  183.  3.  Both  would  be  lost  at  the  same  time,  Jacob  by  means 
of  Esau,  Esau  in  accordance  with  ix.  6  by  the  execution  of  the 
penalty  against  the  murderer,  or  even  that  as  a  murderer  he 
would  not  at  all  events  be  able  again  to  enter  the  presence  of 
his  parents.  The  varying  expression  in  44&,  45a  (comp.  xxxi. 
18)  points  to  extracts  from  different  sources.  But  that  Jacob 
may  not  depart  unaccompanied  by  his  father's  blessing,  Rebekah 


160  GENESIS  XXVII.  46-XXYIII.  5. 

expresses  to  the  latter  her  vexation  at  her  Hittite  daughters-in- 
law  (xxvi.  34,  Q),  and  urges  him  to  send  Jacob  away,  to  seek 
a  wife  in  another  country,  ver.  46  :  Ajid  Behekah  said  to 
Isaac  :  I  am  wearij  of  my  life,  hccause  of  the  daugliters  of 
Heth  ;  if  Jacob  take  a  wife  of  the  daughters  of  Hcth,  like  these 
of  the  daughters  of  the  land,  of  what  use  is  my  life  ?  The  text  is 
compounded  from  Q  (of  whom  T\n  n"i33  and  nn  JT'Ja  are  cha- 
racteristic) and  J"  (comp.  xxv.  22).  There  were  certainly  good 
grounds  for  Eebekah's  displeasure  at  Hittite  daugliters-in-law, 
and  hence  her  wish  in  respect  of  Jacob  was  justified.  It  was 
therefore  from  no  lack  of  independence  that  Isaac  felt  the 
same  desire,  though  it  showed  his  natural  weakness  that  he 
did  not  in  this  respect  act  of  his  own  accord,  but  on  the 
instigation  of  his  wife,  who,  with  her  excessive  sensitiveness, 
understands  the  art  of  turning  her  husband  which  way  she 
chooses.  Isaac  calls  Jacob  and  sends  him  with  his  blessing 
to  Arama^a,  to  marry  there,  xxviii.  1—5  :  Tlicn  Isaae  called 
Jacob  and  blessed  him,  and  commanded  him  and  said  to  him : 
Thou  shall  not  take  a  wife  of  the  daughters  of  Canaan.  Arise, 
go  to  Paxldan  Aram,  to  the  house  of  Bethuel,  thy  mother's  father, 
and  take  thee  from  thence  a  wife  of  the  daughters  of  Laban,  thy 
another's  brother.  And.  God  Almighty  will  bless  thee  and  make 
thee  fruitful  and  multiply  thee,  and  thou  shcdt  become  a  company 
of  nations.  And  He  will  give  thee  the  blessing  of  Abraham,  to 
thee  and  to  thy  seed  tvith  thee,  to  2J0Ssess  the  land  of  thy  sojourn- 
ings,  which  God  gave  to  Abraham.  Thus  Isaac  sent  Jacob  away, 
and  he  ivent  to  Paddan  Aram  to  Laban,  the  son  of  Bcthucl  the 
Aramcean,  the  brother  of  Bebekah,  the  mother  of  Esau  and  Jacob. 
Characteristic  tokens  of  the  style  of  Q  are  here  plentiful :  nija 
|y33  (like  xxxvi.  2,  for  which  /  has  ^JJ?p3n  n^n  xxiv.  3,  37), 
D"?-'?  n?  (see  the  introduction  to  the  history  of  Isaac),  ^"^^  ??? 
with  D'nbs,  nn-ini  n-isn^  onjrp  ps*  (xvii.  8)  and  D'pv  bnp  certainly 
not  to  be  restricted  to  the  tribes  of  Israel  (xxxv.  11,  xlviii.  4). 
The  Scgol  of  D"J*5  rij^s  follows  a  well-known  euphonic  law, 
because  the  original  form  ri3"nQ  and  the  orthophonic  Gaja  in  the 


GENESIS  XXVIII.  6-9.  IGl 

final  syllable  ah  are  intended  to  prevent  this  from  being  lost 
owing  to  the  ^?  following,  comp.  ^D3n  ^33  xliv.  2,  '^">V'i'"i'i^''? 
xi.  25.  ^J^l^?  4:1}  has  a  subjective  suflix  as  at  xix.  21. 
Bethnel  is  particularly  designated  as  the  father  and  Laban  as 
the  brother  of  Eebekah,  and  herself  as  tlie  mother  of  Jacob 
and  Esau,  to  facilitate  the  survey  of  the  impending  extension  of 
family  relationship,  and  at  ver.  5  the  fact  that  Jacob  willingly 
obeyed  the  paternal  behest  is,  according  to  tlie  present  arrange- 
ment of  the  historical  matter,  summarily  anticipated,  as  at 
xxvii.  23  the  fact  that  Isaac  blessed  him.  Hosea  is  referring 
to  what  is  related  xxvii.  43,  xxviii.  5,  when  he  says,  xii.  13  : 
^1^  i^Ty'  ^PF.  ^~!?!!!.  Esau  now  takes  example  and  tries  on  his 
part  to  do  what  is  agreeable  to  his  parents,  vv.  6-9  :  When 
Esau  saiu  that  Isaac  had  blessed  Jacob  and  sent  him  aicaij  to 
Faddan  Aram,  to  talce  him  a  wife  from  thence,  and  that  while 
blessing  him  he  gave  him  a  charge,  saying :  Thou  shcdt  not  tal<e 
a  wife  of  the  daughters  of  Canaan,  and  that  Jacob  had  hearkened 
to  the  voice  of  his  father  and  mother  and  had  gone  to  Faddan 
Aram ;  then  Esau  saw  that  the  daughters  of  Canaan  ivere 
displeasing  to  his  father  Isaac,  and  Esau  ivent  to  Ishmacl 
and  took  unto  his  wives  Mahcdath,  the  daughter  of  Ishmael, 
the  son  of  Abraham;  the  sister  of  Nebajoih,  to  be  his  wife. 
Esau  shows  himself  good-natured,  but  with  limited  perception 
and  through  jealousy  of  Jacob,  hence  not  from  pure  motives. 
When  it  is  said  that  he  went  P^V?^"'.'''?,  Ishmael  himself  (like 
Ephraim  himself  at  1  Chron.  vii.  22)  seems  intended,  and  this 
is  possible,  if  with  Dillmann  we  infer  from  xxvi.  34  sq., 
xxvii.  46,  that  Jacob  migrated  to  Arama^a  between  his  fortieth 
and  fiftieth  years,  for  Ishmael  was,  according  to  xxv.  17,  137 
years  old,  and  Jacob's  forty-fifth  year  coincides  with  Ishmael's 
119th  year  (comp.  xvii.  24  sq.,  xxi.  5,  xxv.  26).  But  if,  in  a 
lawfully  harmonistic  manner,  we  take  xlvii.  9,  xli,  46,  xlv.  6, 
XXX.  22-26,  xxix.  27  into  the  reckoning,  Jacob  was  seventy- 
seven  at  his  migration  into  Syria  (Kohler,  Gcsch.  i.  135),  and 
this  leads  us  beyond  the  limits  of  Ishmael's  life,  so  that  ^ysoir* 

VOL.  II.  L 


1G2  GENESIS  XX VIII.  10-22. 

here,  like  e.g.  n^3  Josh.  xiv.  14,  can  only  be  meant  of  the  family 
of  Ishmael.  Esau's  third  wife  was  called  Mahalath  (for  which 
we  have,  xxxvi.  2,  Basmath).  She  is  said  to  he  the  sister  of 
the  first-born  of  her  brothers,  who  is  named  instead  of  all  the 
rest,  XXV.  13,  as  Miriam  is  always  called  the  sister  of  Aaron. 

JACOB'S  DKEAM  ON  THE  EOAD  TO  MESOPOTAMIA, 
CH.  XXVIII.  10-22. 

Jacob's  journey,  which  he  had  already  begun  xxviii.  5,  is 
now  more  particularly  described  with  a  retrospective  glance  at 
its  commencement.  There  its  goal  was  called  D"iN  nns,  here 
n3"nn.  Mosaic  stones  from  J  and  E  are  added  to  the  narra- 
tive of  Q.  Jacob  becomes  from  henceforth  the  motive-principle 
of  the  history  of  Isaac,  the  second  section  of  which  begins 
at  xxviii,  10.  The  portion  xxviii.  10  sqq.  relates  the  divine 
manifestation,  which  Jacob  experienced  on  the  soil  of  Luz, 
afterwards  Bethel,  after  some  few  days'  journey,  and  by  which 
the  blessing  bestowed  was  solemnly  confirmed  to  him  by  God 
Himself.  We  have  here  the  first  dream  revelation  in  the  life 
of  the  patriarchs  (not  reckoning  the  dream  of  Abimelech,  ch. 
XX.,  nor  that  of  Laban  afterwards).  Henceforward  this  mode 
of  revelation  becomes  more  frequent.  Such  experiences  were 
however  no  everyday  matter  in  their  lives.  Jacob  was  now 
far  past  forty  years  old,  and  the  whole  history  of  his  life  has 
only  five  Divine  revelations  to  show,  two  ^^^ri^  xxviii.  12 
and  xlvi.  2,  two  with  "'^S^'l  xxxi.  3,  xxxv.  1,  one  with  K"]'.! 
XXXV.  9.  It  is  E  who  delights  in  narrating  Divine  mani- 
festations in  the  night.  Those  portions  in  xxviii.  10  sqq., 
in  which  God  is  called  D\'i^x,  belong  with  their  contexts  to 
him  ;  hence  ver.  12,  with  11,  vv.  17-22  are  his,  while  on  the 
contrary  vv.  13-16  show  themselves  to  be  J's  by  the  Divine 
name  mn\  the  promise  of  the  blessing  of  the  nations  in  the 
seed  of  the  patriarch  and  other  particulars.  Both  narrators 
give  accounts   of  a  Divine  manifestation  by  night   at   Luz- 


GENESIS  XXVIII.  10-12.  163 

Bethel  (so  that  both  must  have  fiirnislied  what  is  snid  at 
ver.  19):  E  giving  prominence  to  the  dream,  J"  (wliom  in 
opposition  to  Dillm.  Kuen.  and  others  we  recognise  also 
at  xxii.  14-18)  to  the  words  of  God;  R  has  combined 
these  two  accounts  as  supplementing  each  other.  Starting- 
point  and  goal  of  Jacob's  journey,  ver.  10:  And  Jacob 
departed  from  Bcersheha  and  went  to  llaran.  A  counterpart 
to  xxviii.  5.  Beersheba  had  been  since  xxvi.  23  his  father's 
place  of  abode.  This  verse  joins  on  to  xxvii.  44,  and  is 
tliere  followed  by  completions  from  Q.  Now  begins  the  text 
from  E,  vv.  11,  12  :  Then  he  lighted  upon  a  place  and  passed  the 
night  their.,  for  the  sun  was  set,  and  he  took  one  of  the  stones  of 
the  place,  made  it  his  pilloiv,  and  lay  doum  to  sleep  in  that  place. 
21icn  he  dreamed,  and  behold,  a  ladder  vxis  set  up  upon  the  earth 
and  its  top  reached  to  heaven,  and  behold  angels  of  Elohvni 
ascending  and  descending  upon  it.  He  lighted  upon  a  certain 
place  (nip's?,  comp.  certi  homines,  i.e.  certain  in  the  abstract  but 
not  to  be  more  particularly  designated),  probably  a  hill-top 
inviting  for  its  pleasantness  and  safety,  and  then  prepared  his 
night's  quarters  by  making  one  (ver.  18)  of  the  stones  of 
the  place  his  pillow.  1'"'^^?-?  for  ^'O'^'^^l^  (comp.  nii'^no  for 
nii'ripo)  is  the  usual  extensive  plural  for  parts  of  body  and 
space,  the  principal  form  to  be  accepted  for  which  is  n*^'^"?.P, 
nc\sno  (comp.  D^^n'^'^^'i^  Jer.  xiii.  18,  from  npx*"ip,  Bottch.  §  695). 
There  upon  his  hard  pillow  sleeps  Jacob,  banished  from  his 
home,  about  to  encounter  an  uncertain  future,  purposely  fleeing 
from  the  company  of  mankind  in  a  foreign  land,  solitary  and 
without  a  roof  over  his  head.  He  is  there  comforted  by  a 
divinely-effected  dream.  The  nsn  (three  including  13a)  are 
finger-posts  of  childlike  astonishment  at  the  glorious  appear- 
ance which  the  participles  describe,  as  from  a  post  of 
observation.  The  ladder  is  an  image  of  the  invisible,  but 
actual  and  unceasing  connection  in  which  God,  by  the  ministry 
of  His  angels,  stands  with  the  earth,  in  this  instance  with 
Jacob,  who  is  now  where  the  ladder  has  its  earthly  standing 


164  GENESIS  XXVIII.  13-16. 

place ;  in  his  behalf  are  the  angels  of  God  "  ascending  and 
descending  upon  it "  (the  same  expression  as  Prov.  xxx.  4, 
John  i.  52),  to  fetch  and  receive  commands,  to  bring  them 
down  and  execute  them.  Before  the  happy  dreamer  can 
inquire  of  one  of  the  angels,  he  hears  the  word  of  Jahveh,  and 
thereupon  awakes,  vv.  13-16:  And  hchold  Jahveh  stood 
beside  him  and  said :  I  am  Jahveh,  the  God  of  Abraham  thy 
father  and  the  God  of  Isaac ;  the  lanel  ivhcrcon  thou  liest,  to 
thee  taill  I  give  it  and  to  thy  seed.  And  thy  seed  shall  he  as 
the  dust  of  the  earth,  and  thou  shalt  spread  to  ivest  and  east  and 
north  and  south,  and  cdl  the  families  of  the  earth  shall  he  hlessed 
in  thee.  And  behold,  I  am  ivith  thee  and  will  keep  thee  whitherso- 
ever thou  gocst,  and  will  bring  thee  hack  to  this  land,  for  I  will 
not  leave  thee,  till  I  have  performed  what  I  have  told  thee. 
Then  Jaeob  awoke  from  his  sleep  and  said:  Surely  Jahveh  is 
piresent  in  this  place  and  I  knew  it  not.  In  the  present  con- 
nection it  seems  as  if  Ivy  13a  must  be  referred  to  the  ladder 
(LXX.  Targums,  Jerome) :  there,  where  the  ladder  reached  to 
heaven,  God  Himself  was  present  to  the  dreamer;  but  bv  35rp 
means  everywhere  in  «/ standing  beside,  xviii.  2,  xlv.  1,  and 
this  is  also  its  meaning  Amos  ix.  1.  Jahveh  there  stood  at  his 
side  (Eashi :  •nnc'^),  and  His  word  is  added  to  the  silent  image. 
The  God,  w^hom  angels  and  all  powers  serve,  will  fulfil  to 
Jacob  the  great  promises,  xii.  Sh,  xiii.  14-17,  and  not  take 
from  him  His  special  protection  until  He  has  first  (QX  it*''J?  IV 
without  obliteration  of  the  conditional  meaning  of  D5<  as  at 
Num.  xxxii.  17,  Isa.  vi.  11,  comp.  Q5;5  ny  xxiv.  19,  Euth  ii. 
21,  and  see  on  xxxviii.  9)  fulfilled  what  He  has  promised  to 
him.  "When  Jacob  awakes  from  sleep  he  says :  Truly  (i?{<  only 
again  in  the  Pent.  Ex.  ii.  14)  Jahveh  is  in  this  place;  con- 
trary to  expectation,  he  has  learned  that  this  too,  far  from  the 
holy  places  of  his  family,  is  a  place  of  Jahveh's  gracious 
presence,  that  He  has  gone  with  him  into  this  strange  land, 
that  he  may  not  be,  like  Ishmael,  a  broken-off  branch.  Now 
follows  the  exclamation  of    Jacob  on  what  he  beheld,  from 


GENESIS  XXVIII.  17,  18.  165 

Ey  ver.  1 7  :  And  he  was  afraid  and  said :  How  aivfid  is  this 
iplace  !  this  is  none  other  than  a  house  of  God,  and  this  is  the  gate 
of  heaven.  He  has  here  Lad  a  glimpse  of  the  government  of 
God  and  of  the  supersensuous  world  (Wisd.  x.  10);  it  is  as 
though  this  were  the  abode  of  God  and  of  His  good  spirits, 
as  though  this  were  the  gate  of  heaven,  by  which  they  enter 
and  depart.  It  is  now  related  what  Jacob  did  the  next 
morning,  ver.  1 8  :  And  Jacob  rose  up  early  in  the  morning,  and 
took  the  stone  whieli  he  hxid  made  his  pillow,  and  set  it  up  for 
a  memorial  pillar,  and  poured  oil  upon  it.  He  consecrates  the 
stone  as  a  memorial,  as  the  foundation  of  a  sanctuary ;  for 
the  pure,  golden,  gently  penetrating  oil  is  a  symbol  of  con- 
secration. This  setting  up  and  consecration  of  memorial 
stones  (comp.  xxxi.  45,  Ex.  xxiv.  4,  1  Sam.  vii.  11)  recalls  the 
heathen  worship  of  anointed  stones  and  baetylia  (\i6ol  XiirapoL 
d\r]\i/x/xivoc,  lapidcs  uncti,  luhricati,  unguine  dclihuti)  which 
had  spread  from  India  throughout  the  whole  East  as  far  as 
Greece  and  Eome,  where  Cybele  was  worshipped  in  the  black 
stone  from  Pessinus ;  this  heathen  custom  is  the  idolatrous 
form  of  the  patriarchal  custom  which  exists  to  this  very  day 
(August.  Cm  xvi,  39).-^  The  baetylia  were  especially  meteoric 
stones,  which  were  traced  to  this  or  that  god,  and  held  to  be 
pervaded  by  deity,  at  least  those  which  chiefly  received  the 
names  ^aiTv\.oc,  ^airvXia,  hetyli  were  such  {Photii  Bibl.  i.  p. 
348,  ed.  Bekker  ;  Plinii  h.  n.  xxxvii.  9,  comp.  Orelli  on  Sanchun. 
p.  30  sq.),  a  name  which  may  have  been  occasioned  by  the 
fetish-like  degenerate  veneration  of  the  memorial  stone  at 
Bethel  (comp.  the  fate  of  Gideon's  ephod,  Judg.  viii.  27). 
Dietrich  however  (in  Grimmel's  article,  de  lajmlum  cidtu  ajmd 
Patriarchas  qucesito,  Marburg  1853)  refers  it,  in  the  meaning 
of  amulet,  to  the  verb  ?^^  to  make  ineffectual.  In  Carthage 
they  were  called,  according  to  Pausanias,  x.  24,  and  Priscian, 

*  Dr.  Alex.  Robb  (now  of  Jamaica)  told  nie  of  such  a  stone  in  U-u-^t  on  tlio 
Old  Calabar  river  in  "Western  Africa,  worshipped  by  the  negro  tribe  there  as 
fallen  from  heaven  and  bestowed  upon  their  ancestors  by  the  God  of  heaven 
(whom  they  called  A-ldsi),  to  be  their  tutelary  deity. 


166  GENESIS  XXVIII.  19-22. 

V.  3,  18,  ahhadires  =  ')mi  pS.  The  Thorah  forbids,  because  of 
their  heathen  abuse,  any  erection  of  nia^fO  Lev.  xxvi.  1,  Deut. 
xvi.  22,  and  commands  the  overthrow  of  such  as  exist,  Ex. 
xxiii.  24,  xxxiv.  13,  Deut.  xii.  3.  The  prophets  rebuke  the 
degeneration  of  the  custom  (Hos.  x.  1  sq.  comp.  iii.  4),  without 
finding  it  reprehensible  in  itself  (Isa.  xix,  19).  Change  of 
name  of  this  patriarchal  place  of  revelation,  ver.  1 9  :  And  he 
called  the  name  of  that  place  Bethel,  on  the  contrary  Lnz  was  its 
name  formerly.  Jacob  called  the  place  where  he  had  set  up 
the  nnv?:),  '?xn"'n  (written  in  the  MSS.  sometimes  as  one  word, 
sometimes  as  two) ;  whereas  the  town  was  called  n^  formerly 
(Dp^Nl  elsewhere  xlviii.  19,  Ex.  ix.  6,  Num.  xiv.  21  in  a  rhe- 
torical, here  in  a  historical  connection,  originally  a  noun,  Assyr. 
Slamu,  in  which  the  meaning :  before,  opposite,  shows  the  radical 
meaning,  comp.  '^33).  This  is  not  however  to  be  so  under- 
stood, as  though  the  ancient  Luz  and  the  more  recent  Bethel 
were  absolutely  the  same,  but  so  that  the  ancient  Luz  (xlviii.  3) 
gradually  retreated  and  disappeared  before  Bethel,  which  lay 
near  it.  Josh.  xvi.  2.  The  appellation  buD^l  xii.  8,  xiii.  3  is  antici- 
pative.  The  ruins  still  bear  the  name  of  Bcitin.  It  lies  forty- 
five  minutes  from  el-Bireh  (Beiiroth)  and  three  hours  by  horse 
from  Jerusalem,  on  the  declivity  of  a  hill  between  two  valleys, 
which  still,  as  in  the  days  of  Abraham,  affords  the  most  excellent 
pasturage,  but  belongs  to  the  holy  places  which  have  fallen  into 
oblivion.  Jacob's  vow,  vv.  20-22  :  And  Jacob  made  a  vow  and 
said :  If  Elohim  vjill  he  with  me  and  keep  me  upon  this  way  that 
I  go,  and  give  me  bread  to  cat  and  clothing  to  put  on,  and  I  come 
hack  in  safety  to  my  fathers  house,  then  shall  Jahvch  be  my  God, 
and  this  stone  which  I  have  set  up  as  a  memorial  pillar  shall  be 
a  house  of  Elohim,  and  of  all  which  thou  shalt  give  me  I  will  give 
a  tithe  to  thee.  The  apodosis  begins  at  21& ;  then  will  he  have 
Jahveh,  and  him  alone,  for  his  God,  without  turning  to  other 
gods.  This  fundamental  oath  sounds  like  an  echo  of  the 
promise  xvii.  8,  comp.  Ex.  vi.  7  and  frequently.  The  words 
of  God  flow  forth  22b  in  an  address  to  God.     We  here  meet 


GENESIS  XXIX.  1.  1G7 

for  the  second  time  since  xiv.  20  in  the  primitive  history  with 
the  custom  of  giving  a  tithe  to  God  ;  it  is  common  to  almost 
all  antiquity,  the  legislation  Lev.  xxvii.  30-33  and  farther  on 
does  but  regulate  what  already  existed.  How  ver.  22  was 
fulfilled,  we  partly  learn  in  ch.  xxxv.  Bethel  became  already 
in  patriarchal  times  a  place  of  sacrifice,  and  in  the  times  of 
tlie  Judges  the  sanctuary,  Judg.  xx.  18,  1  Sam.  x.  3,  with  the 
ark  of  the  covenant,  Judg.  xx.  18,  stood  here  for  a  long  period 
upon  Mount  Ephraim.  The  Divine  name  DTi^x  in  vv.  12,  17 
is  of  itself  no  certain  token  of  a  source :  the  matter  there 
in  question  is  indeed  a  glance  into  the  world  of  spirits,  and 
also  the  origin  of  the  local  name  f'XD"'!.  But  the  case  is 
different  with  n'^rh^  20b  and  with  Dvn^sb  "b  nin>  ^^^"l  21  J.  In 
the  report  of  the  vow  J  seems  to  be  blended  with  U,  or  it 
may  have  been  taken  as  it  stands  from  JE.  Jacob  will  on 
his  return  to  his  home  be  determined  by  his  experience  of 
Divine  assistance  to  choose  Jahveh  for  his  God  for  ever,  to 
make  the  stone  whicli  he  has  set  up  the  foundation-stone  of 
a  house  of  God,  and  to  tithe,  i.e.  to  apply  to  the  purpose  of 
Divine  worship,  every  blessing  bestowed  on  him. 

Jacob's  two  marriages  in  haran,  ch.  xxi.\'.  i-so. 

The  second  portion,  xxix.  1-30,  which  continues  Jacob's 
experiences  in  a  strange  country  and  first  his  involuntary 
double  marriage  in  Haran,  is  compounded,  like  ch.  xxvii., 
from  J  and  U  worked  into  each  other.  In  the  first  half  J",  in 
the  second  E  predominates,  in  ver.  1 5  the  transition  is  made 
from  J  to  E  (Dillm.).  But  no  Divine  name  occurs,  and  strik- 
ing characteristics  are  lacking.  In  the  second  half  nnsy>  is 
found,  where  according  to  the  usual  diction  of  E  we  sliould 
expect  n;2S,  and  the  distinction  of  age  by  nTiaa  and  nTj?i'  is 
elsewhere  only  found  in  J  (xix.  30-38). 

Ver.  1  is  peculiar :  And  Jacob  lifted  up  his  feet  and  vxnt 
to  the  land  of  the  sons  of  the  East.    Encouraged  by  what  he  had 


168  GENESIS  XXIX.  2-12. 

heard  and  seen  in  his  night  dream,  he  continues  his  journey 
refreshed  and  cheered  ^']ii?"''33  n^nx,  ix.  to  Arabia  deserta, 
which  reached  as  far  as  Euphrates  including  Mesopotamia 
lying  beyond  that  river.  In  J'xxviii.  10  his  destination  was 
called  n:nn^  in  Q  xxviii.  2  0"^^?  n^'nQ,  here  we  have  the  third 
and  most  general  designation,  as  Dillraann  conjectures  from 
E,  but  according  to  xxv.  6  more  probably  from  J,  to  whom 
what  follows,  at  least  as  far  as  ver.  15,  belongs.  The  meeting 
with  Eachel,  vv.  2-12 :  And  he,  looked  and  behold  a  vjell  was 
in  the  field,  and,  lo,  three  JlocTcs  of  sheep  lying  beside  it,  for  out 
of  that  well  they  used  to  water  the  flochs,  and  the  stone  at  the 
mouth  of  the  well  vms  great.  And  thither  were  all  the  flochs 
gathered,  and  they  rolled  the  stone  from  the  mouth  of  the  well 
and  watered  the  flocJcs,  and  brought  the  stone  again  to  the  mouth 
of  the  well,  to  its  plaee.  Then  said  Jaeob  to  them  :  My  brethren, 
whence  are  ye  ?  And  they  said :  Of  Haran  are  we.  And  he 
said  to  them :  Knoio  ye  Laban,  Nahor's  son  ?  And  they  said : 
We  know  him.  Then  he  said  to  them :  Is  it  well  ivith  him  ? 
And  they  said:  It  is  well,  and  behold,  Rachel  his  daughter  is 
coming  even  now  with  the  sheep.  And  he  said :  It  is  indeed 
still  high  in  the  day,  nor  is  it  yet  time  to  drive  in  the  cattle ; 
water  the  sheep  and  go  hence  and  feed  them  !  And  they  said : 
We  cannot,  till  all  the  flocks  are  gathered  together,  then  they  roll 
away  the  stone  from  the  mouth  of  the  ivcll  and.  water  the  sheep. 
While  he  was  yet  speaking  with  tliem,  Rachel  came  with  the  sheep, 
which  belonged  to  her  father,  for  she  was  a  shepherdess.  And  it 
came  to  pass,  ivhcn  Jacob  saio  Rachel,  the  daughter  of  Laban  his 
mothers  brother,  and  the  sheep  of  Laban  his  mothers  brother,  that 
Jaeob  vjcnt  near  and  rolled  away  the  stone  from  the  mouth  of  the 
well  and  watered  the  sheep  of  Laban  his  mother's  brother.  And 
Jacob  kissed  Rachel  and  lifted  up  his  voice  and  %vc2Jt.  And  Jacob 
told  Rachel  that  he  was  her  fathers  relative,  and  that  he  was 
Rebekah's  son — and  she  ran  and  told  her  father.  The  imperf. 
Ipy'^  2a  is,  like  ii.  6,  meant  of  custom  in  the  past,  and  continues 
here  as  there  in  the  perfect,  Ges.  §  127.  4&,  Driver  §  113.  4/3. 


GENESIS  XXIX.  13,  14.  1G9 

npina  is  the  prcJicate  and  iX3ri  "•S'py  a  completion  of  the 
subject,  comp.  Job  xxxvii.  22b,  Micah  vi.  12b;  for  it  is  the 
greatness,  not  the  position  that  is  emphasized.  Laban  is  called 
by  Jacob  oa  iin3~|3.  Bethuel,  of  whom  Laban  was  directly  the 
son,  is  strikingly  kept  in  the  background  in  the  history  of 
Isaac's  marriage  also,  ch.  xxiv.  Jacob  inquires  concerning  the 
welfare  of  Laban :  i?  QiX'n  (comp.  xliii.  27  sq.) ;  they  are  able 
to  give  him  the  information  desired,  and  point  to  Eachel,  who 
was  just  approaching  with  her  flock  (nS3  participle)  ;  and  when 
he  invites  them,  the  day  being  yet  great,  i.e.  still  far  from 
passing  into  the  evening,  when  the  cattle  have  to  be  put  in 
the  stall,  to  water  the  flock,  they  excuse  themselves  by  saying 
that  the  rolling  away  of  the  stone  requires  the  united  strength 
of  all  the  shepherds.  While  he  is  thus  talking  with  them 
Eachel  arrives  (nX3  preterite  like  xxvii.  30),  bringing  the 
flock  which  is  her  father's  (p  il;'X  like  xl.  5),  that  it  may 
be  watered  with  the  other  flocks ;  and  Jacob  then  rolls 
away  alone  the  great  stone  from  the  mouth  of  the  well. 
Such  gigantic  strength  was  given  him  by  tlie  affection  of 
blood  relationship  (as  is  prominently  shown  by  the  threefold 
itSK  "ns),  and  at  the  same  time  by  a  presentiment  of  love,  for 
his  father's  words  xxviii.  2  were  ever  ringing  in  his  ears. 
Hence  various  feelings  were  combined  in  the  kiss  and  in  the 
tears  that  followed,  ver.  11.  Laban  also  now  hastens  to  the 
scene  and  gladly  welcomes  his  nephew,  vv.  13,  14:  And  it 
came  to  pass  when  Laban  heard  the  tidings  of  Jacob,  Ms  sister's 
son,  that  he  ran  to  meet  him  and  emhraced  him  and  kissed  him 
and  brought  him  into  his  house,  and  he  told  Laban  all  these 
things.  Then  Laban  said  to  him :  Surely  thou  art  my  Jlcsh 
and  bone,  and  he  abode  with  him  a  month  of  days.  The 
genitive  after  J?pt^'  (e.g.  Isa.  xxiii.  5)  and  »ij?in*j'  (e.g.  2  Sam. 
iv.  4)  is  (except  perhaps  Isa.  liii.  1)  always  objective.  Laban, 
when  he  hears  the  news  of  Jacob's  arrival,  runs  to  meet  his 
brother,  ie.  nephew  (nx  like  ver.  12),  spreads  out  his  hands  to 
embrace  him  (p  P3n  as  at  xlviii.    10),  overwhelms  him   with 


170  GENESIS  XXIX.  15-20. 

kisses  (as  is  meant  by  ptrp  as  distinguished  from  Pr'J  ver.  11), 
and  brings  him,  as  being  indeed  his  flesh  and  bone  (as  at  ii.  23), 
into  his  house,  where  Jacob  relates  to  him  "  all  these  things," 
i.e.  his  arrival  at  his  journey's  end  and  the  providential  meet- 
ing at  the  well.      It  is  affection  which  makes  Laban  so  speedy 
and  so  kindly,  but  also,  no  less  than  at  xxiv.  29,  a  selfish 
and  calculating  eye  to  the  future.      He  knows  however  how 
to  hide  his  intentions  under  the  appearance  of  the  greatest 
unselfishness.       So   Jacob    remains    D''P^   t^'^n    (xli.    1,   Num. 
xi.  20  sq.  and  frequently)  a  month  of  days,  i.e.  a  full  month, 
during   which  Laban  perceives  of    what   service  Jacob,   tlie 
experienced   shepherd,  can   be   to   him.     His    compact   with 
Jacob,  who  serves  him  seven  years  for  Eachel,  vv.  15-20: 
Then  said  Lalan  to  Jacob :  Is  it  hccause  thoic  art  my  kinsman 
that  thou  sliouldest  serve  me  for  nought  ?  Tell  me,  what  shall  he 
thy  wages  ?     And  Laban  had  two  daughters,  the  name  of  the 
elder  loas  Liah  and  the  name  of  the  younger  Eahel.     And  the 
eyes  of  Leah  were  weak,  but  Eachcl  vxis  beautifid  of  form  and 
fair  to  look  on.     And  Jacob   loved  Rachel  and  said:  I  will 
serve  thee  seven  years  for  Bachel  thy  younger  daughter.      Then 
said  Laban :  It  is  better  that  I  should  give  her  to  thee,  than  that 
I  should  give  her  to  another  man  ;  abide  with  me.      TJicn  Jacob 
served  seven  years  for  Bachel,  and  they  toere  in  his  eyes  as  a 
few  days,  because  of  his  love  for  her.     The  sentence  beginning 
with  ^3n  (as  at  xxvii.  36)  as  inwardly  organized  runs  thus: 
Should  I,  because  thou  art  my  kinsman,  require  from  thee 
gratuitous  service  ?     Laban  had  two  daughters  (two,  and  not 
one  only,  as  we  here  learn  for  the  first  time),  of  whom  the 

younger  Eachel  (^nn  j^     ewe  lamb)  was  beautiful  in  face 

and  figure;  the  elder,  Leah  (nS7  'i\i  wild  cow,  a  kind  of 
antelope  ^),  had  on  the  contrary  weak  eyes  (LXX.  rightly  •. 
aaOeveh,  Vulgate  wrongly :  Ui^pis  ocidis),  hence  she  lacked 
an  important  feature  of  female  beauty.  Jacob  offers  to 
^  See  Job,  2ud  edit.  p.  507,  comp.  Zimmern,  Bahyl.  Busspsalmen,  p.  20. 


GENESIS  XXIX.  21-30.  171 

serve  seven  years  for  Eacliel ;  Laban  plays  the  agi-eeable 
and  accepts  the  offer.  The  hand  of  a  cousin  is  to  this  very 
day  among  the  Arabs  due  to  her  cousin  in  preference  to  any 
other  wooer,  and  husband  and  wife  generally  address  each  other, 
jd  hint  'ammt  and  jil  ihn  'ammt,  i.e.  oh  my  female  cousin,  my 
male  cousin.  The  seven  years  passed  by  to  Jacob  like  a  few 
days,  "the  other  days  lighted  by  hope  disappeared  as  one 
day,"  as  Camoens  paraphrases  it  in  his  29th  Sonnet.  One 
might  have  thought  that  they  would  rather  have  appeared 
long  to  him.  Both  are  true  :  amoi'  paucos  dies  ccstimat 
;plurimos  affective,  7ion  autcm  ajjpixciative  (Calov.).  Laban's 
deception  and  excuse,  and  Jacob's  second  seven  years'  service, 
vv.  21-30:  Thcji  Jacob  said  to  Laban:  Give  me  my  wife,  for 
my  time  is  fulfilled,  that  I  may  go  in  unto  her.  And  Laban 
assembled  all  the  people  of  the  place  and  gave  a  feast.  And  it 
came  to  pass  in  the  evening,  that  lie  took  Leah  his  daughter 
and  brought  her  to  him,  and  he  ivcnt  in  unto  her.  And  Laban 
gave  Zilpah,  his  handmaid,  to  his  daughter  Leah  for  her  hand- 
maid. And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  morning,  behold  it  was  Leah, 
and  he  said  to  Laban :  What  hast  thou  done  to  me  ?  Bid  not 
L  serve  with  thee  for  Rachel  ?  And  why  hast  thou  deceived  me  ? 
Then  Laban  said :  Lt  is  not  the  custom  so  to  do  in  our  place, 
to  give  the  younger  before  the  first-born.  Stay  out  the  week  of 
this  one,  and  we  ivill  give  thee  this  also  for  a  service  which  thou 
shall  serve  with  me  seven  other  years.  And  Jacob  did  so  and. 
fulfilled  Ids  week,  then  he  gave  him  his  daughter  Rachel  to  wife. 
And  Laban  gave  to  his  daughter  Rachel,  Bilhah,  his  handmaid, 
to  be  her  handmaid.  And  he  went  in  also  unto  Rachel,  and  he 
loved  Rachel  more  than  Leah,  and  he  served  with  him  seven 
more  years.  When  the  seven  years  were  over,  Jacob  demands 
his  wife  (nnn  before  a  following  x  with  the  tone  upon  the  ult.), 
for  such  she  is  already  in  virtue  of  the  marriage  contract,  and 
when  the  marriage  feast  ('"'^^"■P),  i.e.  the  first  and  special  day 
of  the  marriage  festivities,  is  over,  he  experiences,  while 
intoxicated  and  blinded  by  love,  a  deception  similar  to  that 


172  GENESIS  XXIX.  21-30. 

which  he  had  played  upon  his  father.  Instead  of  Eachel, 
Leah  (veiled,  corap.  xxiv.  6  5)  is  brought  to  him.  Laban  gives 
her  Zilpah  for  her  handmaid,  which  particular,  as  well  as  his 
giving  Bilhah  to  Eachel,  ver.  29,  added  in  a  manner  which 
interrupts  the  connection,  seems  inserted  from  Q.  When  he 
reproaches  Laban  with  this  fraud,  which  was  no  less  shameful 
an  injustice  to  Eachel  than  to  himself,  Laban  excuses  himself 
by  appealing  to  a  custom  of  the  country  (nb'y"'"N7  comp. 
xxxiv.  7)  not  to  marry  the  younger  daughter  before  the 
elder — a  custom  stubbornly  adhered  to  also  in  India  and  in 
the  old  imperial  towns  of  Germany.  He  offers  however  to 
give  him  Eachel  also  after  the  lapse  of  the  seven  days' 
(nxf  y2p^  marriage  festivities,  viz.  Leah's  (Judg.  xiv.  12, 
Tobit  xi.  18,  the  duration  down  to  the  present  time  of  a 
marriage  among  the  Syro-Palestinian  peasants,  the  Nestorians, 
etc.),  if  he  will  promise  to  serve  him  seven  years  more.  It 
was  the  custom  only  to  give  a  daughter  in  marriage  for  a 
price  pL"^),  but  Laban  bargains  with  his  daughters  like 
wares,  without  any  regard  to  relationship,  and  it  is  of 
this  that  they  complain,  xxxi.  15.  Jacob  agrees  and  receives 
Eachel  also.  Both  daughters  have  only  one  handmaid  each, 
Eebekah  had  more,  xxiv.  61,  but  Laban  was  avaricious. 
Jacob  has  now  two  wives  instead  of  one,  one  more,  one  less 
beloved.  Of  the  two  135  ver.  30  the  second  in  conjunction 
with  IP  means  adco  magis  qiiam,  but  no  other  example  for 
this  use  of  Di  with  p  can  be  adduced,  LXX.  Jerome  leave  it 
unexpressed,  Dillm.  expunges  it.  Thus  is  Jacob  the  deceiver 
deceived  by  Laban.  And  this  same  Jacob,  who,  as  Hosea  says 
xii.  1 3,  served  for  a  wife  and  for  a  wife  (n^N3  with  3  of  the 
reward  as  at  ver.  18),  kept  sheep,  became  the  ancestor  of  the 
nation  which,  as  Hosea  goes  on  to  say,  was  led  by  a  prophet  out 
of  Egypt  and  by  a  prophet  was  preserved.  It  is  to  this  double, 
and,  according  to  the  subsequent  law  (Lev.  xviii.  18),  detestable 
double  marriage,  that  the  people  of  the  law  owed  their  origin. 
TheThorah  relates  it  without  concealment  and  without  palliation. 


GENESIS  XXIX.  32,  33.  1V3 

BIRTH  OF  THE  ELEVEN  SONS  OF  JACOB,  CII.  XXIX.  31-XXX.  24. 

The  third  portion,  xxix,  31-xxx.  24,  leads  us  straight  to 
the  origins  of  Israel,  and  transports  us,  so  to  speak,  into  the 
midst  of  Israel's  natal  hours.  The  birth  of  these  ancestors  of 
Israel  was  found  in  both  J  and  E,  related  in  the  respective 
manner  of  each ;  the  narrative  as  we  now  have  it  is  a  com- 
bination of  these  two  sources.  They  may  be  distinguished  by 
the  change  of  the  Divine  names  both  in  the  mouth  of  the 
women,  e.g.  xxix.  32,  xxx.  6,  and  of  the  narrator  himself,  e.g. 
xxix.  31,  xxx.  17.  Here  and  there  two  explanations  of  a 
name  stand  side  by  side,  xxx.  20,  and  we  see  from  the  change 
of  the  Divine  names,  that  one  is  taken  from  /  and  the  other 
from  E,  xxx.  23,  24.  The  statements  concerning  the  hand- 
maids, xxx.  4a,  96,  join  on  to  xxix.  24,  29,  and  look  like  woof- 
threads  from  Q.  Eachel  is  the  more  youthful  and  blooming 
of  the  two  sisters,  and  the  best  beloved  of  Jacob ;  but  Eachel 
remains  childless,  whereas  Leah,  the  less  beloved  (ver.  30) 
and  comparatively  hated  (nxi3b>  as  at  Deut,  xxi.  15),  is  blessed 
with  children.  DHT  nna  LXX.  avol'yeLv  ttjv  /xrjrpav  is  the 
opposite  of  on"!.  "iJp  1  Sam.  i.  5,  Job  iii.  10.  Jacob's  first 
son  Eeuben,  by  Leah,  ver.  3  2  :  Zcah  conceived  and  hare  a 
son  and  called  his  name  Reuhen,  for  she  said :  Surely  Jahveh 
hath  beheld  my  affliction,  for  now  will  my  hnsland  love  me. 
The  name  means  :  See,  a  son  !  It  is  an  exclamation  of  joyful 
surprise.  ""S  is,  as  at  xxvi,  22,  explicative,  confirmative, 
assertive.  ?  "^^i  means  to  behold  with  heartfelt  interest,  as 
at  1  Sam.  i.  11,  Vs.  cvi.  44,  comp.  above  xxi.  16.  The  impf 
*J3ns''  has  the  connecting  vowel  a  as  at  xix.  19.  Jacob's 
second  son  Simeon,  by  Leah,  ver.  33  :  And  she  conceived  again 
and  hare  a  son,  and  said :  Surely  Jahveh  has  heard  thai  I  am 
hated  and  hath  given  me  this  also,  therefore  she  ccdled  him 
^Sim'on.  The  transition  from  the  explicative  to  the  assertive, 
from  the  confirmative  to  the  affirmative  meaning  of  "2  is  here 
evident,  the  name  means  :  hearing.     Jacob's  third  son  Levi,  by 


1.74  GENESIS  XXIX.  34-XXX.  6. 

Leah,  ver.  34  :  And  she  again  conceived  and  'bare  a  son,  and 
said:  Now  this  time  will  my  husband  he  attached  to  me,  for 
I  have  home  him  three  sons,  therefore  she  called  his  name  Levi. 
For  iiy^  (they  called,  like  xi.  9,  xix.  22,  xxv.  30)  LXX. 
Samar.  Syriac  reproduce  the  expected  ^^IP^.  The  name  means 
the  attached,  from  an  assumed  v  annexation  socictas  formed 
according  to  the  formation  13.  Jacob's  fourth  son  Judah  by 
Leah,  ver.  3  5  :  And  site  conceived  again  and  hare  a  son,  and  said : 
This  time  I  praise  Jahvch.  Instead  of  nriy  325  and  Dysn  nny 
34(X  (like  HT  r\'nv  1  Kings  xvii.  24),  wo,  have  here,  as  also 
in  J  ii.  24,  cyan  The  name  nnin^_  is  formed  after  the 
analogy  of  the  passive  to  nnin";  Neh.  xi.  17  (comp.  the  forms 
Ps.  xxviii.  7,  xlv.  18),  and  means  (since  n—  as  a  masculine 
termination  arising  from  n—  cannot  be  proved)  the  being 
praised  (Joseph.  ev^aptaTla,  Jerome  confessio),  hence  as  a  proper 
name  one  who  is  the  subject  of  praise.  After  these  four 
births  a  pause  takes  place  with  Leah.  Eachel  is  vexed  to 
death  that  she  has  no  children — the  modest  desire  of  husband 
and  wife  for  the  blessing  of  children  is  a  characteristic  of 
virtuous  marriage.  Her  grief  was  just,  but  it  made  her 
nnjust  towards  her  husband,  xxx.  1,  2  :  When  Rachel  saw  that 
she  hare  Jacob  no  children,  Rachel  was  envious  of  her  sister  and 
said  to  Jacob :  Give  me  children,  or  I  die.  Then  was  Jacob 
wroth  with  Rachel  and  said :  Am  I  instead  of  Elohim,  who  has 
denied  thee  the  fruit  of  the  womb  ?  It  is  a  childish  demand 
which  she  makes  of  her  husband  (comp.  with  this  nan  the 
nn  nn  with  reference  to  Cinn  "ly'y  Prov.  xxx.  15  sq.),  to  which 
he  cannot  but  answer  indignantly :  Am  I  in  the  place  of 
God  ?  (to  be  explained  as  1.  1 9  must,  according  to  2  Kings 
V.  7).  Jacob's  fifth  son  Dan  by  Bilhah,  Piachel's  handmaid, 
vv.  3-6  :  And  she  said :  Behold  my  handmaid  Bilhah,  go  in 
unto  her,  that  she  may  bear  children  upon  my  knees,  and  I  also 
onay  obtain  children  by  her.  And  she  gave  to  him  Bilhah  her 
handmaid  to  wife,  and  Jacob  went  in  unfo  her.  And  Bilhah 
conceived  and  bare  Jacob  a  son.      Then  Rachel  said :  Elohim 


GENESIS  XXX.  7,  8.  l7.J 

has  clone  me  justice  and  also  hearkened  to  my  voiee  and 
hath  given  me  a  son,  therefore  she  called  his  name  Dan.  The 
Divine  name  wrhn  leads  to  E,  and  so  also  does  nos  which 
is  characteristic  of  this  writer.  It  is  here  however  inter- 
changed with  nn2tr,  perhaps  through  the  regard  of  li  to  the 
text  of  other  sources.  The  person  upon  whose  knees  a 
new-born  babe  is  laid  (1.  23,  comp.  Job  iii.  12)  owns  it  as 
liis  own  child.  On  np;  to  be  built  up  (not  a  denominative  : 
to  become  possessed  of  children)  see  xvi.  2.  The  name  PJ  cor- 
responds to  the  Latin  vindex,  defender,  advocate.  She  calls  him 
thus,  because  Elohim  has  taken  her  under  His  protection,  has 
lieard  her  prayer  and  taken  from  her  the  undeserved  reproach 
of  childlessness.  Jacob's  sixth  son  Xaphtali,  the  second  by 
Bilhah,  Eachel's  handmaid,  vv.  7,  8  :  And  Bilhah,Baehel's  maid, 
again  conceived  and  hare  Jacob  a  second  son.  Then  Rachel  said : 
Wrestlings  of  Elohim  have  I  ivrestled  ^vith  my  sister  and  have 
also  prevailed;  so  she  called  his  name  JVajjldali.  The  name 
signifies  that  which  has  been  the  object  of  the  struggle,  that 
which  has  been  obtained  by  wrestling.  The  ^''<P^.  Y'^p^  are 
the  prayerful  wrestlings  of  tempted  faith.  A  wrestling  with 
Leah,  but  in  truth  witli  God  Himself,  who  seemed  to  have 
bestowed  His  favour  upon  her  only,  or  perhaps  more  generally: 
struggles  such  as  only  a  higher  Being  is  able  to  sustain,  super- 
luiman  struggles,  DTi^X  being  thus  not  gen.  ohjccti  but  suhjccti. 
Hengstenberg  and  Drechsler  define  the  notion  yet  differently : 
struggles  whose  issue  bears  the  character  of  a  sentence  of 
God ;  the  idea  of  a  Divine  sentence  of  the  concursus  specialis- 
simi  prevailing  from  xxx.  1—23  being  also  the  reason  for  the 
use  of  D"'n^j5  here  instead  of  mn\  The  change  of  the  Divine 
name  is  however  caused  by  that  of  the  source  of  the  extracts. 
It  was  intentionally  that  the  author  of  Genesis  interwove 
both  Divine  names  into  the  origins  of  Israel,  and  it  is  cer- 
tainly not  accidental  that  the  name  nin''  is  impressed  upon 
the  first  four  births,  and  the  name  DTi^x  upon  the  seven  others. 
We  are  to    be    impressed  with  the  fact,  that  the  covenant 


L76  GENESIS  XXX.  9-13. 

faithfulness   of   Jahveli   and  the   wonder-working  power  of 
Eloliim  concurred  in  laying  the  foundation  of  Israel.     Jacob's 
seventh  son  Gad,   by  Zilpah,  Leah's    handmaid,   vv.   9-11  : 
TVJien  Leah  saw  that  she  had  ceased  from  hearing,  she  took  Zilpah, 
her  handmaid,  and  gave  her  to  Jacob  to  wife.     And  Zilpah, 
Leah's  handmaid,  hare  Jacob  a  son.      Then  Leah  said :   Good 
fortune  !  and  called  his  name   Gad.      She  called  him  "13  pro- 
pitious   star,    saying    (according   to    the    Chcthib) :    *iJ|i   with 
fortune !  (LXX.  iv  tv-^tj),  i.e.  for  my  happiness,  or  (according 
to  the  Kert  which  takes  n  as  an  abbreviation   of  i<n) :  "ij  ^^? 
which  the  Targums  and  Syr.  explain :  fortune  is  come.     It  is 
true  that  the  Keri  may  be  also  explained  (according  to  xlix. 
]  9) :  there  come  troops  (Venet.  r^Kei.  crrpdrevfjia),  viz.  troops  of 
children.      But  '^3=^^3   is   not  to    be  authenticated   in  this 
imwarlike  meaning,  and  the  mythological  appellation  of  fortune 
(Arab,  gcdd),  in  accordance  with  13  ^V^  (Josh.  xi.   17,  xii.   7, 
comp.  Isa.  Ixv.  11),  cannot  seem  strange  in  the  mouth  of  an 
Aramsean    woman.     In   later    times,   the   commencement    of 
which   cannot  be  determined,  the   notion   of  the  li  bv2  was 
united  to  the  planet  Jupiter,  as  that   of   the   mn*iry  13    (on 
Carthag.  III.  in  Gesenius'  Monumenta)  to  tlie   planet  Venus. 
The  Turanian  name  of  Jupiter  on  inscriptions  is  Lubat  guttav 
(guttam).    Jacob's  eighth  son  Asher,  his  second  son  by  Zilpah, 
Leah's  handmaid,  vv.  12,  13:  And  Zilpah,  Leah's  handmaid, 
hare  a  second  son  to  Jacob.      Then  Leah  said :  Happy  me  !  for 
the  daughters  will  call  out  Happy  art  thou  !  so  she  called  his 
name  Aser.     The  name  means  the  happy  one  (from  l*^'k^="iK';^ 
.^:   whence  jusr,  happiness)  — thus  Leah  called  him  saying 
ni;''K3  Happy  me  !  (which  by  altering  this  strange  3  in  accord- 
ance with  the  preceding  133  may  also  be  read  ''"]f'fr53=^if  ^  ^?). 
"3  is  followed,  as  frequently,  e.g.  Isa.  Ix.   1,  by  the  perf.  of 
certainty,  and  ni^n  is  in   poetic   fashion   without   the   article 
(LXX.  al  <yvvalKe<i,  comp.  Mary's  magnifieat,  Luke  i.  48).      It 
now  again  becomes  Leah's  turn  to  bear,  notwithstanding  the 
love-apples  obtained  by  Eachel,  vv.  14-16  :  And  Reuben  went 


GENESIS  XXX.  U-16.  177 

in  the  days  of  ichcat  harvest  and  found  mandrakes  in  the  field 
and  brought  them  to  Leah,  his  mother ;  then  Rachel  said  to 
Leah  :  Give  me,  I  pray  thee,  of  thy  son's  mandrakes.  And  she 
said  to  her :  Ls  it  too  little  that  thou  hast  taken  my  hiishand  from 
me,  to  take  also  my  sons  mandrakes  ?  Then  Rachel  said  :  Let 
him  then  lie  with  thee  this  night  for  thy  sons  mandrakes.  When 
then  Jacob  came  home  from  the  field  at  even,  Leah  went  to  meet 
him  and  said :  Thou  must  come  in  unto  me,  for  I  have  hired 
thee,  yea  hired  thee,  for  my  son's  mandrakes.  The  LXX.  correctly 
translates  D'^NliT  [x,rjka  fiavSpayopcov ;  ''l^'n  (in  accordance  with 
the  formation  vv)  from  nil  (2^^"^),  ancient  Egyptian  fZM(Za,fZi«Zz«(, 
dudio  (see  Brugsch,  ^Dic  neue  Weltordnung,  etc.  1881,  p.  38),  is 
the  mandragora  autumnalis  which  blossoms  in  November  at  the 
commencement  of  the  wiuter  rain.  It  comes  from  the  Persian 
merdum  gidh,  man-plant,  Aram,  and  Arab,  jabruh,  by  which 
the  Targums  (comp.  Sanhcdrin  99&)  and  the  Syriac  translate 
it,  or  also  Ivffdh,  by  which  Saad.  renders  it.  Its  flowers  of 
purple  inclining  to  dark  blue  become  in  May  and  June 
(Cant.  vii.  14),  or  what  is  the  same,  in  the  days  of  wheat 
harvest,  yellowish  green  apples,  about  the  size  of  a  nutmeg,  of 
a  particularly  pungent  odour  (Arab,  tuffdh  esseitdn  or  tuffah 
el-megnUn  or  laid  el-ginn,  daemons'  eggs).  The  mandragora  is 
a  plant  frequently  found  in  Palestine  and  also  in  Aramaja,  its 
fruit  and  root  are  esteemed  as  a  means  of  promoting  fertility 
and  as  an  Aphrodisiacum  in  general,  on  which  account  it  is 

figuratively  called  ^LJl  J^>i    (servant  of  love's   salute),  and 

is  glossed  by  JJj\  jlLc  (lovers'  herb).^  Circe  used  the 
root  in  her  charmed  potions,  and  TIamilcar  brought  upon 
his  adversaries  the  Libyans  the  sleep  of  intoxication,  by 
means  of  wine  in  which  this  root  was  mingled.  But  the 
perfect  plant,  drawn  out  uninjured,  with  its  root  reaching  from 

^  See  Wetzsteiii's  Excursus  on  the  Dudaim  in  Comm.  zum  Hoherdiede,  pp. 
439-445,  and  James  Neil's  (formerly  ]>astor  of  Christ  Church,  Ji-rusalem)  article 
on  the  same  subject  (with  an  illustration)  in  the  Jervish  Intelligence,  18S6,  pp. 
194-196. 

VOL,  n.  M 


178  GENESIS  XXX.  17-20. 

three  to  four  feet  and  sometimes  deeper,  with  its  egg-like 
fruits  in  their  leafy  nests,  was  reckoned  particularly  valuable 
and  effectual.  Of  such  kind  were  the  Dudaim  which  Eeuben 
brought  with  him  from  the  field.  "When  Eachel  begs  for 
them,  with  a  purpose  which  she  has  no  need  to  express, 
Leah  gives  her  an  indignant  refusal,  rinp?  (not  rinip?  or  ^^P^)  is, 
as  the  Targums  also  take  it,  vif.  consir.:  ut  prcerciJiura  sis. 
Eachel  however  obtains  the  mandrakes  by  renouncing  her 
husband  for  the  next  night,  i^^n  nTpH  (instead  of  ii'^^\})  as  at 
xix.  33.  Since  Eachel  however  remains  barren  notwith- 
standing the  mandrakes,  it  is  again  shown  that  an  incalculable 
power  presides  over  the  history  of  the  patriarchs.  Jacob's 
ninth  and  Leah's  fifth  son,  Issachar,  vv.  1*7,  18:  Then  Eloliim 
hearkened  unto  Leah,  and  she  conceived  and  lore  Jacob  a  fifth 
son.  And  Leah  said  :  Elohim  hath  given  me  my  hire,  because  I 
have  given  my  handmaid  unto  my  husband,  and  she  called  his 
name  Jissachar.  The  Textus  rec.  points  i^l^'b^';,  while  accord- 
ing to  Ben-Asher  "•^fe'l,  its  Keri,  is  perpetuum,  against  which  Ben- 
Naphtali  read  13^'^''.  affert  prcemium,  or  according  to  Baer  read 
just  like  Ben-Asher,  but  wrote  "^^j^'^^.;  Moses  b.  Mochah  read, 
according  to  Jer.  xxxi.  16,  2  Cbron.  xv.  7,  "'^b'l^'l  est  'prccmium, 
see  Pinsker,  Zur  Gesch.  dcs  Karaismus,  p.  98  sq.  Leah 
regards  this  son  as  a  reward  ("''t?'X="iC'K  nnn  or  '^'^'^,  "'^^y?  like 
xxxiv.  27,  xxxi.  49)  of  her  self-denial,  not,  as  Josephus  takes 
it  (=  e'/c  ixiaOov  fyevofxevo^),  as  a  compensation  for  the  man- 
drakes. Jacob's  tenth  and  Leah's  sixth  son,  Zebulun,  vv, 
19-20  :  And  Leah  conceived  again  and  bore  a  sixth  son  to 
Jacob.  Then  Leah  said:  Elohim  hath  endowed  me  with  a 
good  dowry ;  this  time  my  husband  will  esteem  me,  for  L  have 
borne  him  six  sons,  so  she  ccdled  his  name  Zebulun.  The  mean- 
ing, to  present,  is  assured  to  the  verb  13T  by  the  Aram,  and 
Arab. ;  it  occurs  only  here,  but  all  the  more  numerous  are  the 
proper  names  formed  from  it  (see  the  Lexicon).  Can  there 
be  here  two  interpretations  by  different  narrators,  one  of 
whom    assumes    that    ri?3T    is    formed    from    nar  ?     Scarcely, 


GENESIS  XXX.  22-24.  lV9 

for  he  would  see  in  the  name  only  an  allusion  to  nar,  and 
would  then  be  responsible  for  the  interpretation.  At  all 
events,  the  name  is  explained  first  from  its  consonance  with 
lyt  and  then  from  blf  as  its  stem -word.  Certainly  fs^r  has 
been  understood  in  the  meaning  to  dwell,  which  is  by  no 
means  assured  to  it ;  verbs  of  dwelling  (inhabiting)  of  course 
take  the  accus.  (e.g.  also  iij  Ps.  v.  5),  but  "  he  will  inhabit 
me,"  for  "  he  will  hold  to  me  "  (Jerome  mecum  erit),  is  an  im- 
probable expression.  The  Assyrian  offers  for  h^l  the  more 
suitable  meaning  to  raise  up,  to  elevate,  with  which  the 
LXX.  alpeTLu  /xe,  i.e.  according  to  Hesychius  irpori/zoTepav  /x-e 
i57?;o-eTat,  may  be  brought  into  connection  and  to  which  ?^3T  (a 
thing  erected  =  dwelling-place)  may  fitly  be  referred  (Guyard, 
Friedr.  Del.) ;  the  opposition  of  Halevy  is  here  of  no  avail. 
Birth  of  a  daughter  to  Jacob  by  Leah,  ver.  2 1  :  And  afterwards 
she  hore  a  daughter  and  called  her  name  Dinah.  Dinah,  who 
was  not  Jacob's  only  daughter,  xxxvii.  35,  xlvi.  7,  could  not 
be  left  unmentioned  because  of  ch.  xxxiv.,  but  is,  as  being  a 
daughter,  dismissed  in  few  words  (corap.  iv.  22,  Num.  xxvi. 
46).  Jacob's  eleventh  and  Eachel's  first  son,  Joseph,  w. 
22-24  :  Then  Elohiin  rememhered  Rachel,  and  Elohim  hearkened 
unto  her  and  opened  her  woiiib.  And  she  conceived  and  hore 
a  son,  and  said :  Elohim  hath  taken  away  my  reproach.  And 
she  called  his  name  Joseph,  saying :  May  Jahveh  add  unto  me 
another  son.  At  last  God  remembered  Eachel  also  (like  1  Sam. 
i.  19),  and  granted  her  so  long  seemingly  unheard  petition. 
The  name  of  her  first  own  son  is  interpreted  by  E  "  Taker 
away  "  (viz.  of  the  reproach)  of  childlessness  (like  Isa.  iv.  1  of 
celibacy),  by  J  "  increaser,"  as  the  first  who  is  the  precursor 
of  a  second.  The  addition  is  characterized  by  "iDsi?,  which 
occurs  nowhere  else  in  the  giving  of  names. 

The  passing  notice  of  Dinah,  Leah's  daughter,  has  its  appro- 
priate place  after  the  six  sons  of  Leah,  without  our  having 
to  infer  therefrom  that  her  birth  took  place  before  that  of 
Joseph.      The  first  four    births    of    sons    (Eeuben,    Simeon, 


180  GENESIS  XXX.  22-24. 

Levi  and  Judah)  by  Leah  happen  in  the  first  four  years 
of  the  second  seven  years,  the  two  by  BUhah,  Rachel's 
handmaid,  in  the  fourth  to  the  fifth.  During  the  fiftli  year 
Leah  is  in  vain  expecting  the  blessing  of  children,  and  at  last, 
after  the  example  of  Eachel,  gives  Zilpah  to  her  husband,  and 
she  bears  to  him  Gad  and  Asher  from  the  sixth  to  the  middle 
of  the  seventh  year.  Meantime  Leah  is  again  blessed  with 
children,  and  brings  forth  Issachar  at  the  end  of  the  seventh 
year  of  the  now  elapsed  second  seven  years,  Zebulun  in  the 
first  of  the  last  six  years  (of  the  twenty,  xxxi.  38),  and  Dinah 
in  the  second  of  the  six.  Eachel  however  bore  a  son,  as  is 
evident  from  ver.  25,  at  the  end  of  the  second  seven  years; 
hence  the  birth  of  Joseph  took  place  between  the  births  of 
Issachar  and  Zebulun  (not  before  that  of  Issachar,  as  Astruc, 
Conjectures,  p.  396  sq.,  thinks),  and  probably  in  the  last  month 
of  this  seventh  year  (comp.  Demetrius  in  Euseb.  Procp.iy:.  21). 
Unless  we  place  two  of  Leah's  births  in  the  six  years  (xxxi.  41) 
after  the  two  seven  years,  Leah  must  have  borne  seven  children 
within  the  seven  years,  during  which  a  considerable  interval 
of  vain  expectation  elajosed.  Kurtz  accepts  this,  limiting  the 
period  during  which  Leah  was  certain  that  a  cessation  had 
taken  place  to  "a  few  months."  But  at  xxxvii.  35,  xlvi.  7, 
daughters  of  Jacob  are  mentioned,  concerning  whose  births 
nothing  is  said,  and  elsewhere  in  Genesis  homogeneous  events 
are,  as  here  in  the  case  of  the  children  with  which  Jacob's  two 
marriages  were  blessed  in  Aramsea,  taken  together  as  though 
continuous,  the  distribution  of  the  succession  of  time,  as  here 
of  the  7  +  7  +  6  years,  being  left  to  the  reader. 

NEW  COMPACT  FOR  SERVICE  BETWEEN  JACOB  AND  LABAN, 
XXX.  25-XXXI.  3. 

When  Eachel  after  long  yearning  became  a  mother,  the 
second  seven  years  of  service  had  elapsed  ;  the  fourth  portion, 
XXX.  25   to  xxxi.  3   (from  /,  though  with  here  and  there  a 


GENESIS  XXX.  25-34.  181 

glance  at  E),  now  relates  how  a  new  compact  for  service 
between  Jacob  and  Laban  came  to  pass,  and  how  Jacob, 
during  this  new  service,  attained  great  wealth  in  cattle 
through  an  artifice  blessed  by  God.  Jacob  presses  for  his 
dismissal,  and  Laban  for  Jacob's  stay,  25—30  :  And  it  came  to 
pass  when  Eachel  had  home  Joseph,  that  Jacoh  said  to  Lahan  : 
Send  me  away,  that  I  may  go  to  my  own  place  and  to  my 
country.  Give  me  my  ivives  and  children,  for  whom  I  have 
served  thee,  that  I  may  go;  for  thou  knoivcst  my  service  which  I 
have  clone  for  thee.  Then  Lahan  said  to  him :  Oh,  if  I  have 
found  favour  in  thine  eyes — /  /  have  well  marked  that  Jahveh 
hath  hlessed  me  for  thy  sake.  Then  he  said :  Decide  thy  wages, 
and  I  will  give  it.  And  he  said  to  him :  Thou  knowest  hoio  I 
have  served  thee,  and.  ivhat  thy  cattle  have  hecome  with  me.  For 
a  little,  which  thou  hadst  hefore  my  time,  has  spread  into  a  multi- 
tude, and  Jahveh  hath  hlessed  thee  where  I  turned  my  foot,  and 
now,  when  shall  I  wm-k  also  for  my  own  house  t  The  apodosis 
to  X^'DJ?  2*1  a,  must  be  completed  according  to  xviii.  3  :  so  let 
thy  purpose  be — a  courteous  oh  not  so  !  (comp.  xix.  18  sq.). 
tJ'n3  is  a  heathen  expression  for  inquiring  into  the  future  by 
means  of  magic,  and  then  means  in  general  divinare,  to  per- 
ceive, to  remark  (xliv.  15).  The  two  idnm  with  the  same 
subject  (Laban)  in  vv.  27,  28  show  that  B,  wherever  it  is 
possible,  reproduces  the  words  of  his  authorities  unaltered. 
We  translate  Dyo  30«  "a  little,"  for  "the  little"  is  called 
^^'9'),  e.g.  Deut.  vii.  7.  "We  have  already  had  fiD,  to  spread, 
in  J"xxviii.  14.  v^lp,  at  my  foot,  is  equivalent  to:  blessing 
followed  wherever  I  went  (comp.  Job  xviii.  11  ;  Isa,  xli.  2  ; 
Hab.  iii.  5).  ^  nu'V  a  pregnant  expression  :  to  act,  to  work,  to 
take  trouble  for  any  one.  New  compact  between  Jacob  and 
Laban,  vv.  31-34:  Then  he  said:  What  shall  I  give  thee? 
And  Jacoh  said :  Thoit  shall  give  me  nothing,  if  thon  wilt  grant 
me  this  thing :  I  will  again  tend  thy  flock  and  take  it  under 
my  care.  I  luill  to-day  go  through  all  thy  flock,  taking  out  from 
it  every  speckled  and  spotted  one  and  every  Hack  one  among  the 


182  GENESIS  XXX.  31-34. 

lambs,  and  the  speckled  and  spotted  among  the  goats,  and  that 
shall  he  my  hire.  And  on  the  morrow,  when  thou  shalt  inspect 
viy  hire,  my  own  righteousness  shall  testify  against  me  hefore 
thee  :  every  one  that  is  not  speckled  and  sjyotted  among  the  goats 
and  black  among  the  larabs,  let  that  with  me  be  reckoned  stolen. 
Then  Laban  said :  Well,  let  it  be  according  to  thy  ivord ! 
Jacob  lets  himself  be  prevailed  upon  again  to  tend  and  keep 
Laban's  flock  under  a  certain  condition  (ip*^  as  at  Hos.  xii.  13. 
Comp.  on  the  explanatory,  surpassing  compensation  of  the  one 
notion  by  the  other,  Ps.  xv,  4).  The  transaction  is  carried  on 
with  the  same  conventional  forms  of  Oriental  courtesy,  as  that 
in  ch.  xxiii.  between  Abraham  and  the  Hethites.  The  sheep 
are  in  that  country  almost  all  white  (Cant.  iv.  2),  only  a  few, 
chiefly  rams,  black,  the  goats  for  the  most  part  if  not  black 
(Cant.  iv.  Ih)  of  a  dark  colour,  and  only  very  seldom  white  or 
spotted  with  white.  Hence  it  is  apparently  a  very  small 
wage  for  which  Jacob  stipulates,  when  he  claims  all  the 
speckled,  spotted  and  black  among  the  sheep  (C?^'?  for  the 
later  ^V??,  a  Pentateuchal  form  occurring  also  in  Lev.  Num. 
and  Deut.),  and  all  the  speckled  and  spotted  among  the  goats, 
which  are  now  and  henceforth  may  be  produced  in  Laban's 
flock.  This  is  the  sense  of  ver.  32  sq.  After  the  preceding 
ihyx,  "ipn  cannot,  as  Tuch,  Baumg.,  Kn.  understand  it,  be  im- 
perative, it  is  infin.  absol.  Consequently  '•'i^'p'  ^1^\  cannot,  as 
Tuch,  Baumg.,  Kurtz  and  already  Luther  take  it,  mean  :  and 
all  that  in  future  happens  to  be  of  an  abnormal  colour  in  the 
now  normal  coloured  flock  shall  be  my  hire  ;  nab  n^ni  aims  at 
the  present,  but  in  such  wise  that  all  that  may  in  the  future 
happen  to  be  of  abnormal  colour  is  at  the  same  time  stipulated 
for.  It  is  in  accordance  with  this  that  ver.  33  must  be 
explained  :  my  own  rectitude  shall,  when  thou  shalt  to-morrow 
and  henceforth  make  investigation  concerning  that  which  is 
claimed  by  me,  testify  against  me  (3  njy  everywhere  else,  also 
1  Sam.  xii.  3,  and  therefore  certainly  here  too  used  of  witness 
against  or  accusation).     Luther    1545    with   the  LXX.  and 


GENESIS  XXX.  35,  36.  183 

Jerome  rightly  understands  the  D^ni  in  the  sense  of  — i'j'ki, 
Din  "li^N,  for  Jacob  claims  for  himself  the  black  sheep  as 
those  of  abnormal  colour ;  hence  it  is  not  the  black,  but  those 
that  are  not  black,  that  are  to  be  regarded  as  stolen  by  him. 
Laban  gladly  consents,  ver.  34  :  Yea  (jn  as  in  the  jMishna 
diction)  Id  it  he  {^b  as  at  xvii.  18)  according  to  thj  vjord.  It 
might  now  be  thought  that  Jacob  would  undertake  the  separa- 
tion, instead  of  which  Laban  undertakes  it  himself,  vv.  35,  36  : 
Then  on  the  same  day  he  removed  the  striped  and  spotted  rams, 
and  all  the  speckled  and  spotted  goats,  all  upon  which  was  any 
white,  and  every  Uach  one  among  the  lamhs,  and  gave  them  into 
the  hands  of  his  sons.  And  he  put  a  distance  of  three  days' 
journey  hetween  himself  and  Jacob,  and  Jacob  fed  the  rest  of 
Ldban's  flocks.  Laban  himself  separates  the  unusual  coloured 
cattle,  especially  the  rams  ^'''^\^  (which  is  certainly  not  made 
prominent  without  intention),  and  delivers  these  separated 
and  unusually  coloured  cattle  to  his  sons  (comp.  xxxi.  1), 
for  Laban's  own  flock,  consisting  now  of  only  normal 
coloured  cattle,  was  pastured  by  Jacob.  He  then  orders  a 
separation  of  three  days'  journey  {i.e.  about  3x7  hours)  be- 
tween the  two  flocks,  in  order  to  prevent  any  copulation 
between  the  normal  and  abnormal  coloured  cattle.  We  cannot 
here  escape  the  impression,  that  the  accounts  of  two  authori- 
ties are  here  worked  into  each  other  ;  nevertheless,  the  narra- 
tive, as  we  have  it,  must  be  capable  in  the  mind  of  R  of  being 
drawn  together  into  one  harmonious  picture.  Hence  we  shall 
have  to  conceive  that  Laban,  in  order  to  guard  against 
any  diminution,  himself  undertook  the  separation,  and  for 
the  same  reason  delivered  what  belonged  to  Jacob  to  his 
(Laban's)  sons,  and  entrusted  what  was  his  to  Jacob.  It 
is  strange  indeed  that  ver.  32  is  left  in  the  wording 
which  leaves  unexpressed  Jacob's  meaning,  that  what  is 
produced  of  an  abnormal  colour  in  the  future  is  also  to 
belong  to  him.  But  that  this  is  Jacob's  meaning  is 
presupposed,  as  the   furtlier   course  of  the  narrative  shows. 


184  GENESIS  XXX.  37-40. 

In  order  to  obtain  within  the  one  coloured  flock  of  Laban  the 
greatest  possible  number  of  abnormal  coloured  births,  Jacob 
in  his  inventive  policy  makes  use  of  two  artifices.  The  first 
stratagem,  vv.  37-40:  Then  Jacob  took  fresh  rods  of  storax, 
almond,  and  plane  trees,  and  jpeeled  thereon  white  stripes,  laying 
hare  the  white  that  was  on  the  rods.  And  he  placed  the  rods, 
which  he  had  peeled,  in  the  gutters,  in  the  VMter  troughs,  where 
the  cattle  came  to  drink,  over  against  the  cattle,  and  it  was 
pairing  time  when  they  came  to  drink.  And  the  cattle  mated 
among  the  rods,  and  the  cattle  brought  forth  striped,  speckled,  and 
spotted.  And  Jacob  separated  the  lambs  and  turned  the  faces 
of  the  flocks  toward  the  striped  and  all  the  black  among  Laban's 
flocks,  and  made  droves  apart,  and  put  them  not  to  LabarCs  cattle. 
Of  the  three  kinds  of  trees  njnp  is  the  storax  tree  {styrax 
officinalis,  from  l^p  in  accordance  with  the  formation  niS'X  =  ''3a7 

J^,jJ  on  account  of  the  fragrant  milk  leben  thickening  to  a  gum 
which  flows  from  its  wounded  bark) — not  the  white  poplar, 
which  is  called  ^^  |5q_k.  {BMZ.  xvi.  588);  n?  the  almond 
tree  (the  more  Aramaico- Arabic  name  for  1p^  amygdala,  whose 

fruit  is  called  almonds,  or  almond  nuts,  nuces,  Arab.  ;^  loz),  and 
)i?2"iy  the  plane  {platanus  oricntalis,  from  DIV  denudare,  because 
the  smooth  bark  of  the  tree  comes  off  every  year  and  leaves 
it  bare).  In  the  fresh  sticks  of  these  trees  he  peeled  white 
stripes  (niSys  peeled  places)  by  exposing  the  white  (^ib'tiD  adv. 
Ace.  for  ^Ji'n  decorticando),  and  placed  (i"?:"  in  distinction  from 
^''sn  of  temporary  placing)  the  parti-colour "sd  sticks  in  or  near 
the  troughs  C'^Dni  (perhaps  from  J  xxiv.  20),  which  is  ex- 
plained by  C^n  riinpkJ'  (plur.  of  T\pp  with  the  n  taken  root- 
wise  as  in  riinD3).  ;xkn  n^bp  belongs  to  the  remote  J?;*!  as  yith 
33a  to  the  remote  U'nnjyi,  unless  the  meaning  is,  that  the 
animals  stood  while  drinking  on  both  sides  of  the  trough 
opposite  each  other,  so  that  n:Dn>l  is  meant  of  the  instinct 
excited  by  the  help  of  this  position.     This  "^JpO'i  instead  of 


GENESIS  XXX.  41,  42.  185 

^^^PO?!'?  (from  Dnn,  as  at  1  Sam.  vi.  12,  Dan.  viii.  22)  is  one  of 
the  tliree  forms  designated  by  the  Masora  as  Dirjmx  p!)D,  hyljrid 
words.  Thus  they  mated  Oon'.'i=i'2n^l  from  D'pn,  though  it  also 
might  he  im}')/.  Kal  from  Onj  for  I^l]^*.?,  according  to  a  similar 
change  of  sound,  as  at  Ps.  li.  7,  comp.  Judg.  v.  28,  for  ion>"i) 
among  the  rods,  and  this  produced  unusual  coloured  animals 
among  the  lambs.  Then  Jacob  separated  these  unusual 
coloured  lambs  and  kids  from  the  normal  coloured  animals 
belonging  to  Laban,  and  so  led  the  latter  that  their  faces  were 
turned  to  the  parti-coloured,  so  as  to  obtain  continually  fresh 
additions  from  the  flock  of  Laban.  Hence  it  must  have  been 
arranged,  at  least  at  the  first,  that  from  the  first  separation 
(ver.  35  sq.)  to  a  second  and  final  one,  the  flocks  of  Laban 
should  remain  together  under  the  care  of  Jacob.  For  other- 
wise it  cannot  be  explained  that  Laban  should  so  easily  have 
connived  at  the  normal  and  abnormal  coloured  cattle  remain- 
ing together  and  not  from  time  to  time  have  continued  the 
separation  made  at  the  beginning,  that  he  should  even  have 
looked  on  quietly,  when  Jacob  formed  separate  flocks  of  the 
parti-coloured  cattle  obtained  by  stratagem,  for  the  purpose  of 
overlooking  his  property,  and  at  the  same  time  of  obtaining 
continually  fresh  increase  by  turning  the  faces  of  the  one- 
coloured  animals  towards  the  numerous  parti-coloured  ones. 
If  instead  of  7^  we  are  with  Kn.  to  read  ?3,  according  to  the 
Targums  and  Saad.,  it  is  to  be  explained :  he  placed  in 
the  sight  of  the  sheep  all  the  striped  and  dark -coloured 
animals  (so  that  they  had  always  had  the  latter  in  their  sight). 
But  this  is  of  no  avail.  It  cannot  be  mistaken  that  the 
words  irT"!  to  \:h  IS^'2  in  ver.  40  import  an  alien  element  into 
the  narrative ;  they  give  the  impression  of  being  an  insertion, 
the  contents  of  which  are  opposed  to  what  precedes  (the 
separation)  and  follows  (the  formation  of  separate  parti- 
coloured flocks).  The  second  stratagem,  vv.  41,  42  :  And  it 
came  to  pass,  whenever  the  strong  sheep  conceived,  then  Jacob  used 
to  lay  the  rods  in  the  gutters  before  the  eyes  of  the  sheep,  that 


186  GENESIS  XXX.  41,  42. 

tlicy  might  mate  among  the  rods.  And  ivhen  the  sheep  were 
feeble  he  laid  them  not  therein,  and  thus  the  feeble  became 
Laban's  and  the  strong  Jacob's.  The  apodosis  begins  with  Dbn 
not  D"^'*!!,  because  it  was  not  a  single  but  a  repeated  act.  The 
strong  animals  are  called  nh^J'pon  (42&  cnL'-'i^n),  the  compact, 

i.e.  the  full,  the  sturdy  (comp,  ^n,  7i^3,  ^J=Engl.  strength), 

and  the  feeble  '^''Slf^l'i},  from  fjDy,  to  wrap  and  to  weaken ;  the 
Hiph.  P]''Dj;n  means,  as  intrinsically  transitive,  to  show  weakness. 
The  form  i^^^n;;^  is  Piel  (xxxi.  10)  from  Dn\  with  the  suffix 
enna  instead  of  an  =  ahun.  Only  during  the  mating  of  the 
strong  sheep  did  he  put  in  the  sticks,  that  they  might  con- 
ceive among  them,  and  not  when,  on  the  contrary,  the  sheep 
were  in  a  feeble  condition,  i.e.  when  in  consequence  of  bad 
pasture  the  rams  and  ewes  were  less  strong.  This  means, 
perhaps,  that  he  laid  them  there  in  summer  (according  to 
Varro  and  Pliny :  a  tertio  Idus  3Iajas  in  X  Calend.  Aug.,  with 
us  in  July  and  the  first  half  of  August),  so  that  the  strong 
(unusual  coloured)  winter  lambs  became  his,  but  not  in 
autumn  (Pliny  :  postea  concepti  invalidi),  so  that  the  weaker 
(usual  coloured)  spring  lambs  were  left  to  Laban.  Lutlier  on 
the  contrary :  Also  wurden  die  Spctlinge  Labans,  aber  die 
Fruelinge  Jacobs,  according  to  which  Jacob  must  have  carried 
out  his  artifice  from  towards  the  end  of  September  till  October, 
when  the  lambs  would  be  brought  forth  in  ]\Iarch  and  April. 
The  text  itself  gives  no  kind  of  indication  as  to  whether 
Jacob  had  in  view  the  winter  or  the  spring  lambing.  For  the 
rest  it  is  a  well-known  fact  that  what  is  presented  to  the 
senses  of  the  pregnant  animal  is  imitated  in  the  formation  of 
the  offspring,  and  that  in  no  animal  has  the  imagination  of 
the  mother  such  influence  upon  the  offspring  as  in  the  sheep ; 
on  which  account  sheep-breeders,  to  obtain  white  sheep,  make 
use  of  a  like  means  with  Jacob,  by  placing  something  white 
in  the  drinking  troughs  of  the  sheep,  giving  them  troughs 
made  of  quite  white  stone,  or  hanging  up  white  cloths  in  their 


GENESIS  XXX.  43-XXXI.  3.  187 

stalls,  just  as  horse-breeders,  to  obtain  a  fine  breed,  hang  up 
representations  of  fine  horses  before  their  foaling  mares 
(Friedreich,  Zar  Bihcl,  1,  36-41).  Jacob's  increasing  pro- 
sperity, ver,  43 :  Thus  the  man  increased  exceedingly,  and 
obtained  many  sheep,  and  maid-servants  and  men-servants,  and 
camels  and  asses.  At  ver.  30,  and  at  xxviii.  14,  also  p3  of 
the  person  is  found  in  J;  comp.  notwithstanding  the  'li^'?  '^^<p 
(elsewhere  only  in  Q,  vii.  19),  the  Jahvistic  parallels  in  matter 
and  style,  xii.  16.  nia"]  jNV  does  not  mean:  many  flocks,  but 
many  heads  of  sheep  and  goats,  comp.  e.g.  Num.  xxxi.  32. 
Jacob's  prosperity  increased  immensely,  but  (as  is  further 
narrated  according  to  J)  it  was  now  also  time  that  he  should 
quit  the  place,  xxxi.  1-3  :  A7id  he  heard  the  words  of  Lahans 
sons,  that  they  said :  Jacob  has  taken  to  himself  all  that  was  our 
fathers,  and  of  our  father  s  property  has  got  for  himself  all  this 
wealth.  And  Jacob  beheld  the  countenance  of  Laban,  and  it  was 
no  more  towards  him  as  yesterday  and  before  yesterday.  And 
Jahveh  said  to  Jacob :  Bcturn  to  the  land  of  thy  fathers  and  to 
thy  home,  and  I  ivill  be  ivith  thee.  Jacob's  brothers-in-law  hav- 
ing been,  contrary  to  Oriental  custom,  still  silent  individuals  at 
their  sisters'  marriages,  were  still  quite  little  fourteen  years  ago, 
and  perhaps  not  born  twenty  years  ago;  now  however  they  are 
grown  np  (xxx.  35)  and  of  age.  ^133  weight,  means  both  a  great 
quantity  (of  wealth  only  here  in  the  Pent.,  but  comp.  xiii.  2)  and 
an  imposing  appearance  (gravitas,  gloria),  nb'y  to  obtain,  to 
gain,  as  at  xii.  5.  iSi'N  after  ^.^3,  as  at  Lam.  iv.  16.  On  ^i?^'^ 
see  on  xii.  1,  and  compare  the  reference  to  it  xxxii.  10. 

Jacob's  flight  and  final  peaceable  departuke  from 
laban,  cii.  xxxi.  4-xxxii.  1. 

The  fifth  and  last  portion  of  the  first  section  of  Isaac's  life 
now  follows,  not  of  Jacob's,  for  Isaac  is  still  alive  and  rules 
the  history,  which  Jacob  only  stirs.  The  close  of  the  former 
portion,  xxx.  4 3 -xxxi.  1-3,  bore  the  stamp  of  J,  but  now  the 


188  GENESIS  XXXI.  4-13, 

text  of  E  is  resumed  and  prevails,  xxxi.  4-xxxii,  1,  though 
other  elements,  especially  parallels  in  matter  from  J  and  in 
ver.  18  from  Q,  are  perceived  to  be  worked  into  it.  The 
different  source  is  already  betrayed  by  the  behaviour  of 
Laban,  and  Jacob's  prosperity,  notwithstanding,  being  some- 
what differently  represented  here  and  in  ch.  xxx. 

Jacob  summons  Eachel  and  Leah  to  the  field  and  lays 
before  them  the  motives  of  his  resolution  to  return  home, 
vv.  4-9  :  Then  Jacob  sent  and  called  Eaclicl  and  Leah  to  the 
field  unto  his  fiock,  and  said  unto  them :  I  see  the  countenance 
of  your  father,  that  it  is  not  towards  me  as  yesterday  and  hefore 
yesterday,  hut  the  God  of  my  fathers  was  with  me.  And  you 
know  that  with  my  whole  power  I  have  served  your  father.  But 
your  father  has  deceived  me  and  changed  my  hire  ten  times  ;  hut 
Elohim  has  not  allouxd  him  to  do  me  harm.  If  he  said :  The 
speckled  shall  he  thy  hire,  then  the  whole  fiock  hare  speckled  ;  and 
if  he  said :  The  striped  shall  he  thy  hire,  then  all  the  fiock  hare 
striped.  And  so  Elohim  has  taken  away  the  fiocks  of  your 
father  and  has  given  them  unto  one.  Expressions  peculiar  to 
E  are  nnbb'O  (=i3b*)  here  and  ver.  41,  xxix.  15,  and  D''Jb  mb'J^ 
here  and  ver.  41,  ten  (=  many)  times,  instead  of  the  synonym- 
ous D''pyQ  nx'j^.  n^rixi  instead  of  \^'^\  which  occurs  besides 
only  three  times  in  Ezekiel,  is  also  worthy  of  notice  (Assyr. 
attina).  The  use  of  gender  is  here  also  shown  to  be  im- 
perfectly developed :  p"'?^?  with  respect  to  the  wives  being 
exchanged  9h  for  D.9''?^^  It  is  from  E  that  it  is  here  told 
that  Laban  did  not  keep  to  his  agreement  with  Jacob,  but 
fooled  him  (^nn  Hijjhil  of  7?^,  Ew.  §  1 2  7d)  by  ever  and  again 
changing  the  hire  allotted  him,  but  without  profiting  thereby, 
because  God  frustrated  his  selfish  intention.  Continuation  of 
Jacob's  address  to  his  wives,  vv.  10-13  :  And  it  came  to  pass 
at  the  pairing  time  of  the  cattle,  that  I  lifted  up  mine  eyes  and 
saw  in  a  dream,  and  hehold,  the  rams  which  leaped  upon  the  sheep 
were  striped,  speckled  and  dappled.  And  the  angel  of  God  said 
to  me  in  a  dream  :  Jacob  !    And  I  said :  Here  am  I.     And  he 


GENESIS  XXXI.  14-16.  189 

said :  Lift  tip  thine  eyes  and  sec :  All  the  rams  which  leap  on 
the  sheep  are  striped,  speckled  and  dappled  ;  for  I  have  seen  all 
that  Lcihan  docth  to  thee.  I  am  the  God  of  Bethel,  where  thou 
anointcdst  a  pillar,  where  thou  vowedst  a  vow  unto  me — now 
arise  go  out  of  this  land  and  return  to  the  land  of  thy  home. 
What  appeared  in  the  former  portion  to  have  been  obtained 
by  Jacob's  artifice,  is  here  represented  as  the  blessing  of 
Elohim.  That  the  Divine  direction,  now  to  return  home, 
closely  follows  in  the  dream-vision  upon  the  image  of  the  leap- 
ing upon  the  cattle  of  unusual  coloured  rams,  aud  thus  took 
place  at  the  end  of  the  six  years  (Dillm.),  is  perhaps  based  only 
on  the  circumstance,  that  what  was  objectively  related  in  E 
is  here  taken  up  retrospectively  in  Jacob's  address.  Jacob 
should  and  must  at  last  have  been  inwardly  conscious,  that 
after  all  it  had  been  God's  providence  and  not  his  own  artifice 
which  had  protected  him  against  Laban  and  made  him  so 
wealthy,  that,  as  Antonio  says  in  Shakespeare,  it  was  "  a  thing 
not  in  his  power  to  bring  to  pass,  but  swayed  and  fashioned 
by  the  hand  of  Heaven."  The  variegated  animals  are  here 
called,  ver.  12,  D^'^pV  banded — which  appeared  already  xxx.  35 
D""np3  spotted  and  D^'n'in  dappled  (here  for  the  first  time),  from 
113  =  *^<  varicgare,  syn.  with  D"'5<7tp  xxx,  32,  33,  35  in  J". 
The  manifestation  at  Bethel  to  which  ver.  13  refers  is  that 
related  xxviii.  12,  17-19.  The  demonstrative  prominence 
of  the  first  member  of  the  st.  constr.  in  ^^^''•^  ^^'^  is  like  '^^^n 
iitJ'X  Isa.  xxxvi.  8,  and  in  cases  like  2  Kings  xxiii,  17,  where 
apposition  cannot  be  supposed  instead  of  annexation ;  comp. 
b2i  rhv^n  upon  the  pillar  of  the  Jehavmelek  of  Gebal,  "  the 
Ba'alat  of  Byblos."  The  two  wives  approve  of  Jacob's  pro- 
posal ;  their  father  has  alienated  their  hearts  also  by  his 
unkindness  and  covetousness,  vv.  14-16:  Then  Jlachcl  ivith 
Leah  answered,  and  they  said  to  him :  Have  ive  yet  a  portion 
and  inheritance  in  the  house  of  our  father?  Are  we  not 
esteemed  hy  him  as  strangers  ?  for  he  has  sold  v.s,  and  has  even 
quite   devoured   the  price  paid  for  us.     Nay,  all   the   wealth 


190  GENESIS  XXXI.  17-21. 

which  Elohim  has  taken  from  our  father  belongs  to  us  and  our 
children  ;  now  then,  whatever  Elohim  has  told  thee,  do  !  Laban 
sold  his  daughters  for  the  price  of  fourteen  years'  service, 
without  giving  them,  as  a  marriage  portion,  anytliing  that 
Jacob's  services  had  procured  for  him.  He  has  abundantly 
profited  by  this  ^D3  paid  to  him  as  "'D'^ ;  "^l  with  the  inf. 
absol.  like  xlvi.  4  (and  1  Sam,  xxiv.  12,  if  we  are  to  read 
there  with  Hupfeld  nkn)  increases  the  emphasis.  ''?  16a 
confirms  and  strengthens,  see  xxix.  32  sq.  They  can  with  a 
good  conscience  look  upon  what  Jacob  has,  by  the  blessing  of 
God,  obtained  for  himself  during  his  time  of  service,  as  their 
marriage  portions,  which  have  been  extorted  from  him.  They 
are  contented  that  he  should  prepare  for  departure.  The 
return  home,  vv.  17-21  :  Then  Jaeob  arose  and  set  his  sons 
and  his  wives  upon  the  camels,  and  carried  away  all  his  cattle 
and  all  his  property  ivhich  he  had  made  his  own,  the  cattle  of 
his  getting,  which  he  had  made  his  ovjn  in  Paddan  Aram,  to  go 
hack  to  Isaac  his  father  in  the  land  of  Canaan.  And  Ldban 
was  gone  to  shear  his  flock,  then  Rachel  stole  the  teraphim  of  her 
father.  And  Jacob  stole  the  heart  of  Laban  the  Aramaean,  in 
that  he  made  no  communication  to  him,  for  he  meant  to  flee.  So 
he  jled,  and  all  that  belonged  to  him  ;  he  arose  and  passed  over 
the  river,  and  set  his  face  toward  the  mountains  of  Gil' ad.  In 
ver.  18  the  text  of  E  from  itJ'blTixl  onwards  is  illustrated 
from  Q,  comp.  xii.  5,  xxxvi.  6,  xlvi.  6.  When  this  happened 
Laban  had  gone  sheep-shearing,  which,  as  must  be  inferred 
from  ver.  27,  was  then  as  later  (xxxviii.  12  sq.,  2  Sam. 
xiii.  23  sq.)  celebrated  as  a  rustic  festival,  and  would  with  such 
large  flocks  as  Laban's  last  above  a  week.  Eachel  made  use 
of  her  father's  absence  to  steal  his  CS'J'ii  (a  Pluraletantum  like 
penates,  sometimes  an  actual  plural  as  here,  comp.  xxxv.  2,  some- 
times an  intensive  one,  as  at  1  Sam.  xix.  13,  like  ^''P^,  ^y^} : 
the  tutelary  gods  or  god  of  his  house,  properly  dispenser  of 

prosperity,  from  tiin,    uJ  J,  uJ.-aj"    to  be  opulent,  to  live  well, 


GENESIS  XXXI.  22-25.  101 

whence  ^y,  prosperity,  superfluity,  as  the  Penates  have  their 

name  from  the  jJcnus,  the  domestic  store-chambers,  as  protect- 
ing and  filling  them).^  Eachel,  like  iEneas,  took  the  teraphim 
penatigcr  (Ovid,  Md.  xv.  450)  with  her,  but  in  an  unlawful 
manner,  not  for  the  purpose  of  withdrawing  her  father  from 
these  idols  (Ephrem  and  others),  but  to  take  with  her  the  fortune 
of  the  house.  For  Laban  was,  as  he  is  called  xxxi.  20  and  also 
elsewhere  in  E  and  Q,  "'ts'l^f,  and  therefore,  as  thus  hinted,  if  not 
wholly,  still  half  a  heathen.  The  verb  23J  with  :h,  or  just  the 
Ace.  of  the  person,  ver.  27,  means,  like  Kkiineiv  voov  and 
KKeineiv  tlvo,,  to  deprive  any  one  of  the  knowledge  of  anything, 
to  delude  him ;  the  original  meaning  of  3:j  is  to  bring 
aside,  which  acquires  the  more  special  meaning  of  removing 
(purloining),  or  also,  as  at  2  Sam.  xv.  6,  of  tempting.  Jacob 
deceived  Laban  in  that  (fjj?,  Samar.  ny)  he  did  not  tell  him 
beforehand  that  he  was  about  to  depart  (v?  with  the  verh.  fin. 
as  at  Job  xli.  18,  Hos.  viii.  7,  ix.  16,  Chcthih  Isa.  xiv.  6  ;  Ew. 
§  322a);  he  let  nothing  be  perceived,  for  he  intended  to 
depart  secretly  {clam  se  suhchcdurus  erat,  for  D13  properly 
means  to  flee,  mn,  on  the  contrary,  to  depart,  to  withdraw). 
So  Jacob  with  all  that  was  his  passed  over  the  river  (which 
can  only  mean  the  Euphrates),  and  thence  proceeded  in  the 
direction  of  the  mountains  of  Gilead.  Pursuit,  warning  and 
overtaking,  vv.  22—25:  And  it  was  told  Laban  on  the  third 
day  that  Jacob  had  departed.  And  he  took  his  hrcthren  with 
him  and  pursued  after  him  seven  days'  journey,  and  overtook  him 
in  the  mountain  of  Gilead.  And  Elohim  came  to  Laban  the 
Aramaean  in  a  dream  at  night,  and  said  to  him  :  Take  heed  that 
thou  speak  not  to  Jacob  either  good  or  bad.  And  Lahan  came 
up  with  Jacob  ;  and  Jacob  had  pitched  his  tent  in  the  mountain, 
and  Laban  with   his    brethren  pitched    in    the   mountain    of 

^  Ad.  Neubauer  in  The  Acxidemy,  1S86,  Xo.  756,  conjectures  a  connection 
between  D'*XS"1  ^md  D'Qin  ;  but  the  teraphim  do  not  appear  to  be  adored  manes 
(ancestral  sjiirits),  and  the  existent  verbal  stem  fjlD  excludes  the  deri\'ation 
from  nS")- 


192  GENESIS  XXXI.  26-30. 

Git  ad.  The  point  of  departure  was  according  to  all  informants 
Plaran.  If  Gilead  could  not  be  thence  reached  in  a  seven 
days'  march,  and  not  by  a  nomad  with  his  flocks  in  from  ten 
to  twelve,  E  and  J  must  bear  the  responsibility  ;  the  conjecture 
that  E  placed  Laban's  dwelling  nearer  to  Gilead  (Dillm.)  being 
unjustified.  Since  however  23&  ('iJl  P?1!1)  belongs  in  all 
probability  to  E  and  ver.  25  ('lil  iti^'l)  to  J,  the  conjecture  is 
suggested  that  there  was  in  the  text  of  /  a  more  particular 
designation  of  Jacob's  halting-place  than  li^s,  which  was  left 
out  by  B  because  of  23&  (Dillm,).  The  mountain  chain  of 
Gilead  is  divided  into  a  northern  and  southern  half,  separated 
by  the  ravine  of  the  Jabbok.  The  meeting  took  place  before 
the  subsequent  passage  of  the  Jabbok  by  Jacob,  hence  some- 
where in  the  hill  country  'Aglun  between  the  Jarmuk  and 
the  Jabbok.  The  kindred  of  Laban  are  called  his  brethren,  as 
e.g.  2  Sam.  xix.  13.  Laban  is  directed  to  behave  to  Jacob  in 
an  entirely  passive  manner,  i.e.  not  to  meet  him  in  a  hostile 
spirit.  What  now  follows  is  not  meant  to  be  regarded  as 
a  transgression  of  the  Divine  admonition  on  the  part  of 
Laban. 

The  eloquent  reproof,  vv.  26-30,  is  limited  to  bitter 
reproaches,  in  which  paternal  affection  and  hypocrisy  are 
intermingled :  Then  Lahan  said  to  Jacob :  What  hast  thou 
done  ?  that  thou  hast  stolen  my  heart  and  carried  away  my 
daughters  as  captives  of  the  sword.  Why  didst  thou  depart  so 
secretly  and  deceive  mc  and  hast  told  me  nothing,  so  I  might  have 
sent  thee  away  luith  mirth  and  with  songs,  ivith  tdbrct  and  with 
harp,  and  hast  not  let  me  kiss  my  sons  and  my  daughters — 
thus  hast  thou  done  foolishly.  It  was  in  my  power  to  do  thee  ho.rm, 
hut  the  God  of  your  father  spake  to  me  in  the  past  night  saying : 
Take  heed  that  thou  speak  not  to  Jacob  either  good  or  ill.  And  now 
thou  wentest  forth  tcneontrollably  because  thou  sorely  longest  for  thy 
father's  house — why  hast  thou  stolen  my  gods  ?  The  apodosis 
to  ')>  i;iian-xSi  logically  begins  with  ^n^-t^'si.  2  7b.  The  LXX. 
apparently  read   v\  kuI  el,  but  comp.  a  similar  apodosis  after 


GENESIS  XXXI.  31-35.  193 

i6  at  Vs.  Iv.  13,  Job  ix.  32  sq.,  xxxii.  22.  On  'i:i  ^"^V*?, 
comp.  1  Sam.  xviii.  6  and  LXX.  2  Sam.  vi.  5.  ^'^'^">y  or 
even  the  inf.  ahs.  i^'i?  might  (according  to  the  beginning  of 
ver.  27)  follow  i^'^r'??? ;  we  find  however  the  inf.  cunstr. 
without  ?  (Ges.  §  131.  4,  note  2),  which  in  E  is  written 
also  1.  20  and  even  with  a  suffix  Ex.  xviii.  18  y"V  (comp. 
nx"i  xlviii.  11).  b^  in  the  phrase:  it  is,  or:  it  is  not  '''T^  ^^??, 
means  power  (from  hx,  whence  also  n^ip^x  Ps.  xxii.  20),  pro- 
perly the  powerful  matter,  or  (since  7^?,  Assyr.  ilu,  seems  to 
have  only  a  tone-long  e  and  originally  a  short  i)  perhaps  reach, 
especially  reach  of  power  (according  to  Lagarde,  from  n?s,  like 
t2p  from  HDD).  He  could  avenge  himself,  but  "  the  God  of 
your  father,"  he  says,  i.e.  the  God  of  Isaac,  who  is  now  the 
head  of  the  family  to  Jacob's  wives  also,  warned  me  ^'^^  in 
the  preceding  night ;  we  already  read  this  word  conceived  of 
adverbially  as  an  Ace.  xix.  34  (where  see),  and  it  occurs  again 
only  here  in  ver.  42  and  Job  xxx.  3,  2  Kings  ix.  26,  while 
the  Assyr.  freely  uses  musu  (plur.  muMti),  late  evening,  night, 
as  a  noun.  The  strengthening  inf.  intcns.  "^^^  and  ^|C33  (to  long 
for,  here :  to  long  back,  as  in  the  Bedouin  c-i*-^,  DMZ.  xxii. 
158)  are  psychologically  significant.  The  n^l'i.  looks  towards 
the  inquiring  n^7  ;  we  should  say,  transposing  the  sentence: 
now  then,  why,  if  sore  home -sickness  irresistibly  impelled 
thee,  hast  thou  stolen  my  gods  ?  Jacob's  excuse  and  pro- 
test, vv.  31,  32  :  Then  Jacob  answered  and  said:  Because  I 
was  afraid;  for  I  thovght,  lest  tlwu  sliculdst  perhaps  even  rob 
from  me  thy  daughters.  With  ivhom  thou  shalt  find  thy  gods, 
he  shall  not  live ;  in  the  i^rcsenee  of  our  brethren,  look  strictly 
to  what  is  found  with  me  and  taJce  it  to  thee  ! — Jacob  knew  not 
that  Eachel  had  stolen  them.  Instead  of  i^V  " '  "i.^'^f  (xliv.  9  sq.),  is 
apud  quern,  we  here  read  ^^"Ni  DJ?,  apud  quern  (is  vivere  desinat). 
n^ni  has  rightly  scgolta  ;  for  li'^nx  ^J3  refers  not  to  the  execution, 
but  to  the  inspection,  which  is  to  be  made  before  the  eyes 
of  all  the  persons  belonging  to  them  both.  Eachel's  stratagem 
prevents  the  discovery  of  her  theft,  vv.  33-35:  Then  Laban 
VOL.  II.  N 


194  GENESIS  XXXI.  36-42. 

ivent  into  Jacob's  tent  and  into  Lcalis  tent  and  into  the  tent  of 
the  two  handmaids  and  found  nothing,  and  having  come  out  of 
Leah's  tent  he  went  into  EachcVs  tent.  Now  Eachcl  had  taken 
the  teraphim  and  put  them  into  the  saddle  of  the  camel  and  was 
sitting  upon  them,  and  Zahan  felt  about  all  the  tent  and  found 
nothing.  And  she  said  to  her  father :  Let  not  my  lord  he 
angry  that  L  cannot  rise  up  before  thee,  for  it  is  with  me 
according  to  the  tnanncr  of  ivomen — so  he  sought  hut  found  not 
the  tera2')him.  Thus  Eachel,  whose  turn  came  next  to  Leah, 
and  with  whom  the  narrative  now  tarries  longer  (the  hand- 
maids being  here,  where  the  historic  course  of  Genesis  is 
reflected  in  parvo,  despatched  extra  ordinem),  was  able  to 
deceive  her  father,  by  putting  the  teraphim  into  the  saddle 
of  the  camel  and  then  sitting  upon  it.  On  ninox,  plur, 
of  n^x^  see  on  xx.  17.  The  saddle  is  called  "i?  from  its 
(basket -shaped)  roundness.  Luther,  misunderstanding  the 
stramenta  of  Jerome  (after  (Tdy^aTa  of  the  LXX.),  translates 
die  strew  der  Kamcl.  She  excuses  herself  from  rising  before 
her  father  (''.^Sp,  like  Lev.  xix.  32)  because  of  her  condition. 
The  stratagem  w^as  cunningly  devised,  for  even  though  Laban 
might  not  have  esteemed  it  unclean  and  unfitting  to  touch 
the  seat  on  which  she  sat  (see  Lev.  xv.  22),  how  could  he 
have  thought  it  possible  that  a  woman  in  her  circumstances 
should  be  sitting  upon  his  gods !  Thus  Laban  stands  dis- 
comfited, and  the  right  of  casting  reproach  is  all  at  once 
transferred  to  Jacob,  who  upbraids  him  with  the  injustice 
of  this  hostile  pursuit,  and  with  all  the  faithful,  unselfish  and 
hard  service  which  he  has  rendered  him,  vv.  36-42  :  TJien 
Jacob  icas  angry  and  chode  with  Laban ;  Jacob  ansivcred  and 
said  to  Laban :  TVliat  is  my  offence,  what  is  my  sin,  that  thou 
hast  pursued  after  me  ?  Thou  hast  felt  about  all  my  stuff, 
ivhat  hast  thou  found  of  cdl  thy  household  stiff?  Set  it  here 
in  the  presence  of  thy  and  of  my  brethren,  let  them  judge  between 
us  two.  Jn  the  twenty  years  that  L  have  been  loith  thee,  thy 
ewes  and  thy  she-goats  have  not  cast  their  young,  and  the  rams 


GENESIS  XXXI.  3G-42.  195 

of  thy  floch  have  I  not  eaten.  That  icliich  ivas  torn  I  Irovyht 
not  home  to  thee,  I  myself  replaced  it,  of  my  hand  thou  didst 
require  it,  that  which  ivas  stolen  by  day  and  stolen  hy  niyhf. 
Where  I  ivas  hy  day,  the  heat  consiimed  me  and  the  frost  by 
night,  and  sleep  fled  from  my  eyes.  Twenty  years  have  I  spent 
in  thine  house  ;  fourteen  years  I  served  thee  for  thy  two  danyhters 
and  six  years  for  thy  flock,  and  ten  times  least  thou  changed  my 
hire.  Unless  the  God  of  my  father,  the  God  of  Abraham  and 
the  fear  of  Isaac,  had  been  for  me,  surely  then  thou  ivoiddest 
have  sent  me  away  empty — my  affliction  and  the  labour  of  my 
hands  hath  Elohim  seen  and  decided  yesternight.  In  ver.  36 
^nxtsn  np  is  to  be  written  with  Pathach  before  n,  as  at  Job 
xxi.  21.  The  phrase  ''ins  \>T\  to  pursue  violently,  is  repeated 
1  Sam.  xvii.  53.  That  the  mother  sheep  did  not  drop  their 
lambs  (miscarry  ^"^^  38«),  shows  that  he  had  treated  them 
gently  (comp.  xxxiii.  13),  and  that  God  had  blessed  his  care- 
fulness. In  ver.  39  ^^tsn,  LXX.  airoTivvveiv,  has  the  same 
meaning  as  D?^  Ex.  xxii.  12;  "^Stsns  for  ^sstans  is  formed  as 
from  ntpn=Kt3n  The  twice  repeated  ''T^^}}  has  the  connective 
i,  which  here  as  everywhere,  with  the  exception  of  Lam.  i.  1, 
Hos.  X.  11,  has  the  tone  on  the  idt. ;  the  T  ought  to  stand 
at  n^Lins,  for  nrj'pan  '•T'O  points  onward  to  what  was  lost  and 
Jacob  had  to  answer  for.  The  verb  1"!^  (related  to  n^j  iv.  12) 
appears  only  here,  ver.  40,  in  the  Pentateuch.  "My  sleep" 
'•njc'  is  that  which  is  fitting  and  should  be  allowed  me 
(Isa.  xxi.  4).  According  to  the  statement  of  time  in  ver.  41, 
the  birtlis  of  Jacob's  eleven  sons,  with  that  of  Dinah  and 
certain  other  daughters,  takes  place  in  the  last  7  +  6  years  of 
his  Aramrean  sojourn,  see  above  xxx.  24.  The  speech  of  Jacob 
has,  by  reason  of  the  strong  emotion  and  self-conscious  eleva- 
tion expressed  therein,  both  rhythmic  movement  and  poetic 
form.  Its  truth,  and  especially  its  close,  cuts  Laban  to  the 
heart,  ^n?  fear  is  here  equal  to  the  object  of  fear  (o-e/Sa<?  = 
a-e^aafia).  '^^^"''3  with  the  praet.  begins  the  apodosis  of  a 
hypothetical  prodosis  referring  to  the  past,  as  at  Num.  xxii. 


196  GENESIS  XXXI.  43-48. 

29,  33,  1  Sam.  xiv.  30,  comp.  ^3  1  Sam.  xxv.  34,  2  Sam.  ii.  27. 
Laban  disarmed  offers  reconciliation  and  to  enter  into  an  agree- 
ment, vv.  43,  44:  Then  Lciban  answered  and  said  to  Jacob: 
The  daughters  are  my  daughters  and  the  children  are  my  children, 
and  the  floclcs  my  fiochs,  and  all  that  thou  seest  is  mine ;  hut 
for  my  daughters,  —  what  shall  I  this  day  do,  or  for  their 
children  whom  tJicy  have  home  ?  Come  then,  we  will  make  a 
covenant,  I  and  thou,  and  it  shall  he  for  a  witness  hetween  me 
and  thee.  The  subject  to  n^i^l  cannot  be  JT'-ia,  which  is  fern., 
but  a  neuter,  "  it,"  viz.  the  present  occurrence.  Jacob  incor- 
porates and  fixes  this  IV  in  a  monumental  form,  ver.  45  :  Then 
Jacob  tooh  a  stone  and  set  it  up  for  a  memorial  'pillar.  Thus 
it  stood  in  E,  but  now  J"  is  further  added  to  E,  vv.  46-48: 
And  Jacob  said  to  his  brethren :  Gather  stones ;  and  they  tooh 
stones  and  made  a  heap,  and  ale  there  upon  the  heap.  Laban 
called  it  Jegar  sahadutha,  and  Jacob  called  it  Gated.  And 
iMban  said :  This  heap  is  loitncss  between  me  and  thee  this  day, 
therefore  he  ccdled  its  name  Gated.  The  heap  served,  as  is 
summarily  remarked  beforehand  4G&  (comp.  the  anticipations 
xxvii.  33,  xxviii.  5),  as  a  table  for  a  common  covenant  repast 
(comp.  xxvi.  30),  and  is  called  by  Laban  xnnnb>  ir  (which  is 
both  East  and  West  Aramaic),  by  Jacob  "tV^a,  the  heap  of 
witness.  These  are  the  only  two  DiJnn  n"'-im  in  the  Thorah,  as 
the  tractate  Sofrim  i.  1 0  expresses  it.  In  the  Jerus.  Talmud 
{Sota  vii.  2)  and  elsewhere  this  language  is  called  ''DilD,  o-vpia-ri 

{DMZ.  xxv.  128  sq.).     The  verbs  ^^^>  l^p^  j^^  and  n^y  have 

•the  fundamental  meaning  of  making  firm,  the  verb  "^T.  that  of 
heaping  together,  t).^?  that  of  rolling.  Thus  the  appellations 
are  pretty  nearly  identical.  It  was  formerly  inferred  (Bochart, 
Huet,  le  Clerc,  Astruc  and  others)  from  this  passage  that 
Abraham  brought  with  him  from  Ur  Casdim  the  Aramaic 
language  and  exchanged  it  in  Canaan  for  the  ;y3D  nsb*  (Isa.  xix. 
18).  The  case,  on  the  contrary,  is  that  the  Terahites,  who 
remained  in  Mesopotamia,  there  became  acquainted,  during  the 


GENESIS  XXXI.  49.  107 

1  80  years  which  elapsed  from  between  Abraham's  migration  into 
Canaan  and  this  occurrence  on  the  mountain  of  Gilead,  with 
the  Aramaic  speech  of  the  country,  but  that  in  the  family  of 
Terah  the  Babylonio- Assyrian,  which  differed  less  than  the 
Aramaic  from  the  tongue  of  the  Canaanites  who  had  migrated 
tlience  (from  the  Erythraean  Sea),  was  spoken.  Hence  a 
change  of  language  cannot  be  spoken  of  in  the  same  manner 
in  the  case  of  Abraham  as  in  that  of  his  kindred  in  Haran 
(Konig,  Lchrgd).  §  4.  2), — In  48&  the  style  betokens  the  hand 
of  J ;  the  same  formula  xi.  9,  xix.  22,  xxv.  30  (.xxix.  34,  where 
however  the  reading  may  be  "^^"IP),  shows  that  ^1?^  is  to  be 
understood  with  the  most  general  subject  (they  called),  and  at 
the  same  time  indicates  that  ver.  47,  where  Jacob  is  said  to 
have  given  the  name,  was  written  by  another  hand,  viz.  E. 
That  we  have  here  materials  offered  by  different  sources 
worked  up  together,  is  also  shown  by  the  connection,  ver.  49, 
not  fitting  in  with  what  preceded:  And  Mispah,  for  lie  said  : 
May  Jahveh  v:atch  between  me  and  thcc,  tchcn  we  are  out  of  sUjld 
of  one  another,  nsyipni  has  no  other  connection  than  with  the 
preceding :  therefore  he  called  the  heap  of  stones  "iVc?,  and 
this  place  of  the  meeting  of  Jacob  and  Laban  was  called  nsvjon, 
because  (itJ'^,  as  at  xxx.  18,  Deut.  iii.  24)  he  (Laban)  said — 
the  words  of  Laban  are  taken  from  his  speech  in  J,  and  n£V»m 
"tox  "ir'S  seems  to  be  an  addition  by  R.  The  well-known 
Mizpah  in  the  mountains  of  Gilead,  the  residence  of  Jeplitha 
(Judg.  xi.  34),  the  subsequent  Gadite  city  of  refuge,  cannot 
here  be  intended,  for  the  Mizpah  in  question  lay  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  the  Jabbok  (see  Miihlau  under  Mizpah-Mizpeh 
in  Riehm's  HW.),  which  Jacob  did  not  pass  over  till  after  the 
reconciliation  with  Laban.  The  Samar.  reads  nT^'^rni  (in  the 
Samar.  Targ.  nnf^vpi),  which  Wellh.  turns  to  account  for  the 
analysis  of  sources  ;  but  the  explanation  'iJi  iros  iD'N*  and  nsvcm 
are  surely  derived  from  the  same  hand,  and  nnVDni  cannot 
be  equivalent  with  ns^iVrm,  these  words  having  different  verbal 
stems    and    expressing  different  notions.       The    exclamation 


198  GENESIS  XXXI.  50-53. 

of  Laban  '1J1  ^T.,  with  which  iv.  14  can  hardly  be  compared, 
because  dissimilar,  is  continued,  ver.  50,  in  words  from  H: 
If  thou  sJialt  ill-use  my  daughters,  and  if  thou  shalt  take  wives 
beside  my  daughters,  it  is  not  a  man  that  is  ivith  us — hehold, 
Mohim  is  witness  lietivecn  me  and  thee.  In  order  not  to  be 
betrayed  into  a  false  analysis,  it  must  be  observed  that  the 
covenant  obligation,  which  Laban  here  imposes  upon  Jacob,  is 
a  different  one  from  that  in  ver.  51  sq.  Here  the  only  matter 
is  that  Jacob  shall  be  a  faithful  and  considerate  husband  to 
Laban's  daughters.  With  regard  to  the  Divine  names  in  ver. 
49  sq.,  they  testify  to  both  J  and  E.  The  appeal  to  God,  as 
surety  of  the  covenant,  does  not  come  into  collision  with  the 
memorial  of  the  covenant.  Another  covenant  obligation, 
whose  acceptance  the  memorial  is  to  recall  to  future  ages, 
consists  in  this,  that  the  boundary  of  which  it  is  the  mark  is 
not  to  be  passed  with  hostile  intention,  51— 53a;  And  Lahan 
said  unto  Jacob :  Behold  this  heap  of  stones  and  hehold  this 
pillar,  ivhich  I  have  set  wj)  hctivcen  one  and  thee.  Let  this  heap 
he  witness,  and  let  this  pillar  he  witness:  neither  will  I  pass  over 
this  heap  unto  thee,  neither  shalt  thou  pass  over  this  heap  nor 
this  pillar  unto  me,  for  ill.  The  God  of  Abraham  and  the  God 
of  Nahor  judge  between  us,  the  God  of  their  father !  The 
express  threefold  juxtaposition  of  the  two  monuments  looks 
like  the  comprising  together  of  two  accounts,  in  one  of  which 
the  nnvjD  and  in  the  other  the  bi  was  prominent.  ''?K"DS — 
nns'DX  answer  to  the  correlative  sive  .  .  .  sive,  as  a.t  Ex.  xix.  13; 
the  DX  of  the  oath  is  not  intended,  for  n^  dx  is  an  affirmative 
oath.  "'J?''")^  is  to  be  understood  according  to  Job  xxxviii.  6 
and  'i"'^.  in  the  name  of  Jerusalem.  The  D^"'?^?  '''?y^  coming  in 
afterwards  in  a  supplementary  manner,  and  hence  as  a  later 
addition,  is  not  meant  to  signify  "  the  gods  of  their  father," 
but,  on  the  contrary,  makes  the  God  of  Terah,  as  a  higher  unity 
and  as  a  bond  of  union  between  the  two  parties,  predominant 
to  the  God  of  Abraham  and  Nahor.  Jacob  however  does  not 
enter  into  this  syncretistic  view   of  Laban,  ver.   536;   Then 


GENESIS  XXXI.  54-XXXII.   1.  199 

Jacob  swore  hy  the  fear  of  his  father  Isaac.  He  swears  l»y  tlie 
God  reverently  adored  by  his  father.  The  narrator,  as  at  ver.  42, 
is  E.  What  was  anticipatively  related  from  J,  ver.  46,  now 
follows  in  the  more  detailed  form  in  which  it  is  found  in  E, 
ver.  54 :  And  Jacob  offered,  a  sacrifice  upon  the  mountain  and 
called  his  brethren  to  eat  bread,  and  they  ate  bread  and  remained 
all  night  in  the  mountain.  This  was  the  covenant-repast  as  at 
xxvi.  30,  where  however  we  are  not  told,  as  here  and  xlvi.  1, 
that  there  was  an  offering  of  the  flesh.  Elsewhere  on  the 
contrary  we  meet  indeed  with  altars  in  the  patriarchal  history, 
but,  except  in  the  sacrifice  at  Moriah,  without  mention  of 
sacrifices  offered  thereon.  Kext  morning  a  peaceful  departure 
takes  place,  xxxii.  1  :  Early  in  the  morning  Laban  rose  up  and 
kissed  his  S071S  and  daughters  and  blessed  them,  and  Laban 
returned  to  his  ^j?«cc.  Though  lb  sounds  like  xviii.  33  (but 
comp.  also  Num.  xxiv.  25),  the  account  of  E  still  continues. 
Laban  in  caressing  his  children  does  what,  according  to  xxxi. 
28,  he  had  desired  to  do. 

THE    ANGELIC    VISION,    THE    NIGHT    AT    PENIEL,  AND    THE     UNEX- 
PECTEDLY KIND  BEHAVIOUIi  OF  ESAU,  XXXII.  2-XXXIII.  17. 

The  third  section  of  the  Toledoth  of  Isaac,  derived  from  E 
and  J,  begins  with  xxxii.  2.  A  narrative  portion  from  J 
closes  with  |/J1  xxxii.  14rt,  and  one  from  E  with  i^  N^'ii  xxxii. 
22&.  "What  was  first  related  in  the  words  of  J  is  repeated 
ver.  23  sq.  in  the  words  of  E,  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for 
the  narrative  of  the  conflict  at  the  Jabbok.  The  Divine  name 
cn^K  however  appears  both  at  xxxii  29  (where  the  subject 
gives  occasion  for  it)  and  at  xxxiii.  5,  11  in  a  Jahvistic  con- 
text (comp.  e.g.  also  xxviii.  21),  it  is  of  itself  no  decisive  criterion 
against  J,  to  Vv^hom  Wellh.  ascribes  vv.  23-33.  Driver  also 
{Critical  Notes,  1887,  p.  41)  thinks  it  probable  that  24-32  is 
derived  from  J.  So  too  Kuenen,  to  whom  the  history  of 
Jacob's  conflict  at  Jabbok  seems  to  bear  the  stamp  of  the  "  pre- 


200  GENESIS  XXXII.  2-6. 

prophetic"  traditions  of  the  Hexateuch  {Einl.  §  13,  note  23). 
It  is  evident  that  the  answer  to  the  question,  whether  J  or  Q 
is  the  narrator,  remains  an  uncertain  and  purely  subjective  one. 
The  connection  of  the  family,  to  whom  the  promise  is  given, 
with  Paddan  Aram  is  thus  peacefully  dissolved,  and  the  pro- 
gress of  the  sacred  history,  turned  quite  away  from  this  its 
mother  country,  advances  henceforth  towards  Egypt,  where 
the  family  was  to  grow  into  a  nation.  Accompanied  by  the 
blessing  of  Laban,  Jacob  continues  his  journey,  vv.  2,  3  : 
And  Jacob  ivcnt  on  Ids  way  and  angels  of  Eloliim  met  him,  and 
Jacob  said  ivlien  he  saio  them  :  This  is  God's  host,  and  he  ccdled 
the  name  of  that  place  Mahanaim.  Angels  of  God,  in  whom 
he  recognises  a  host  of  God  given  him  as  an  escort,  meet 
him  (comp.  1  Chron.  xii.  22),  and  he  names  the  place  after  the 
angelic  host  added  to  his  own,  or  perhaps  after  the  protectors 
of  his  previous  and  future  journeys,  Q.'^n^  (two  camps) — the 
name  of  a  subsequent  Levite  city,  in  the  territory  of  the 
tribe  of  Gad,  north  of  the  Jabbok.  Here,  according  to  a 
statement  of  Estori  ha  -  Parchi,  recently  confirmed  by  Eli 
Smith,  is  still  found  between  Jabbok  and  Jarmuch  ("iliDii 
by  Talmudic  and  Arabic  corruption  from  'lepofxa^),  upon  a 
mountain  terrace  above  the  two- branched  Wadi  Jabes,  a 
place  called  (iut:^.^!  Mahne.  Hitzig  and  Kneucker  place  Maha- 
naim farther  northwards  in  the  Jordan  valley,  where  the 
Jarmuch  flows  into  the  Jordan,  but  where  not  a  trace  of  the 
ancient  name  is  to  be  found.  The  name  D;nD  is  inscribed 
upon  the  Karnak  tablet  of  the  march  of  Shishak  ;  the  termina- 
tion ajbn  might,  as  in  Dw"n^  and  the  like  (comp.  Kohler, 
Gesch.  ii.  176),  be  a  diphthongally  formed  am  (Wellh.),  but 
the  name  is  in  the  Bible  always  written  D^l^no,  and  the  Dual 
represents  more  aptly  than  the  singular,  the  meaning  and  aim 
of  what  is  related.  Jacob's  message  to  Esau,  vv.  4-6 :  And 
Jacob  sent  messengers  before  him.  to  his  brother  Esau,  to  the  land 
of  Seir,  the  field  of  Edom.  And  he  commanded  them  saying  : 
Speak  thus  to  my  lord,  to  Esau :   Thus  saith  thy  servant  Jacob : 


GENESIS  XXXII.  7-0.  201 

/  have  sojourned  vnth  Laban  and  stayed  till  note,  and  I  have 
oxen  and  asses,  Jloclcs  and  men-servants  and  maid- servants,  and 
I  have  sent  to  tell  my  lord,  to  find  grace  in  thy  sight.  Esau 
then  was  already  dwelling  in  "lU'^f*  )">N*,  though  its  final  occu- 
pation and  possession,  related  xxxvi.  G— 8  from  Q,  and  accord- 
ing to  which  it  is  here  anticipatively  called  CHS  nnb  (comp. 
xxxvi.  6),  did  not  take  place  till  afterwards.  A  third  name 
of  the  country  in  Targ.  Jer.  and  Saniar.  is  rhii  ps  the 
Gebalene  (Gcldl  =  mountains),  jr.rpsn  is  in  the  favourite 
imp/,  energicum  of  the  Jahvistico-Deuteronomic  style.  The 
imperfect  form  "inx  (^'T'^lif;^)  is  syncopated  like  3ns  Prov. 
viii.  17.  The  historical  tense  nnp'j'si  (as  at  Ezra  viii.  16,  Neh. 
vi.  3,  8)  has  the  intensive  ah>,  which  enhances  the  vividness  of 
the  notion  of  the  verb  and  occurs  four  times  in  the  Pentateuch, 
.Ges.  §  xlix.  2  ;  Driver,  §  72.  nit^  used  here  collectively,  and 
whose  plural  occurs  but  once,  Hos.  xii.  12,  is  without  example 
elsewhere.  Eeport  of  the  messengers  and  Jacob's  pre- 
cautionary measures,  vv.  7-9 :  Tlie  messengers  returned  to 
Jacob  saying :  We  came  to  thy  brother  to  Esau,  and  he  also  is 
cojning  to  meet  thee,  and  four  hundred  men  with  him.  Then 
Jacob  was  greatly  afraid  and  was  distressed,  and  he  divided 
the  people  that  was  with  him  and  the  fiocl's  and  the  herds 
and  the  camels,  into  two  companies,  and  said:  If  Esau 
comes  to  the  one  company  and  smites  it,  then  the  comj^any  that 
is  left  will  escape.  The  circumstance  that  Esau  has  such  a 
host  for  offence  and  defence,  is  explained  by  his  having  to 
maintain  himself  in  Mount  Seir,  upon  which  he  has  set  his 
mind,  against  the  not  yet  subjugated  and  supplanted  Horite 
aborigines.  The  reader  is  left  as  much  in  the  dark  as  to 
Esau's  purpose  and  disposition,  as  Jacob  was.  This  advance, 
which  caused  Jacob  so  much  fear,  did  not  manifest  any  change 
of  mind  since  xxvii.  41.  The  angelic  manifestation  at  IMaha- 
nain  still  hovers  before  him,  but  the  threatening  reality  is 
again  encamped  between  him  and  this  consolatory  picture. 
Preparing  for  the  worst,  he  divides  his  people  and  flocks  into 


202  GENESIS  XXXII.  10-14. 

two  companies,  that  if  Esau  slioiild  smite  the  one  (p^^"^  first 
fern,  as  at  Ps.  xxvii.  3,  then  mas.  as  at  Zech.  xiv.  15)  the 
other  i"'9^-^7'^j  *'-^-  to  an  escape,  i.e.  will  be  an  escaped  and 
preserved  one.  Nothing  indicates  a  reference  by  this  divi- 
sion to  the  Dual  D)3no  (Dillm.).  Jacob  does  not  however 
rest  satisfied  with  this  prudent  arrangement,  but  by  believing 
prayer  grasps  through  the  dark  future  the  promise  of  God, 
vv.  10-13  :  And  Jacob  said:  God  of  my  father  Ahraham  and 
God  of  my  father  Isaac,  Jahveh,  who  saidst  unto  me :  Return  to 
thy  country  and  to  thy  home  and  Iioill  do  thee  good — I  am  less 
than  all  the  favours  and  all  the  truth  ichich  Thou  hast  showed 
to  Thy  servant,  for  with  my  staff  passed  I  over  this  Jordan,  and 
now  I  am  become  two  companies.  Deliver  me  from  the  hand  of 
my  brother,  from  the  hand  of  Esau,  for  I  fear  him,  lest  he  come 
and  smite  me,  the  mother  vnth  tJie  children.  And  Thou  didst 
say :  I  will  surely  do  thee  good  and  will  maJce  thy  seed  like  the 
sand  of  the  sea,  ivhich  cannot  be  numbered  for  multitude.  The 
comparative  p  of  ?3?  '"^^'^r^  ver.  11,  denoting  distance,  does  not 
refer  to  incapacity  of  requital,  but  to  unworthiness  of  reception. 
The  ncn  is  in  Dnon  (only  here  in  the  Pent.)  resolved  into  its 
manifestations ;  ntDX  (the  faithfulness  or  truth  which  keeps  its 
promises)  did  not  admit  of  such  a  plural.  "  The  mother 
with  the  children"  is,  as  at  Hos.  x.  14,  a  proverbial  expres- 
sion in  accordance  with  Deut.  xxii.  6  (^y,  as  at  Ex.  xxxv.  22, 
comp.  on  Ps.  xvi.  2).  The  prayer  is  of  one  cast,  Tuch  thinks 
it  unsuitable  in  the  narrator,  to  make  Jacob  call  upon  God  to 
keep  His  word.  But  to  keep  to  His  word  the  God  who  keeps 
His  word,  is  the  way  of  all  true  prayer.  Upon  what  else  can 
Jacob  rely  but  upon  the  promise  of  God,  and  how  else  can  he 
do  so  but  by  praying  ?  With  such  prayer  did  Jacob  chase 
away  his  fear,  lAa :  And  he  lodged  there  that  night.  There, 
viz.  where  he  had  received  the  message  and  undertaken  the 
division  into  two  companies.  Since  no  C^V'!!!  follows,  what  is 
further  related  must  be  thought  of  as  taking  place  during  the 
night  season,  and  this  is  also  confirmed  by  ver,  23.     What 


GENESIS  XXXII.  U-22.  203 

lies  between  14a  and  1'2h  appears  to  be  from  E,  but  the 
analysis  is  not  certain  and  is  moreover  unimportant.  Pre- 
parations for  appeasing  Esau,  14&-22  :  And  he  took  of  what 
he  had  in  his  possession  a  present  for  Esau  his  brother.  Two 
hundred  she-goats  and  twenty  M-goats,  two  hundred  ewes  and 
tvjenty  rams,  thirty  milch  camels  with  their  foals,  thirty  cows 
and  ten  hulls,  twenty  she-asscs  and  ten  foals,  and  delivered  it  into 
the  hand  of  his  servants  in  single  separate  droves,  and  said  to  his 
servants :  Pass  over  before  me  and  leave  a  space  between  drove  and 
drove.  And  he  commanded  the  first,  saying :  When  Esau  my 
hrothcr  mectcth  thee  and  asJccth  thee,  saying :  TVhose  art  thou 
and  whither  goest  thou,  and  to  whom  do  these  before  thee  belong  ? 
Then  say :  To  thy  servant  Jacob,  it  is  a  present  sent  to  my  lord 
Esau,  and  behold  he  also  is  himself  behind  ^(s.  And  he  com- 
manded also  the  second,  also  the  third,  also  all  who  followed  the 
droves,  saying:  Just  so  shall  ye  speak  to  Esau,  when  ye  meet 
him.  And  ye  shall  say :  Also  behold  thy  servant  Jacob  is 
behind  us ;  for  he  thought :  I  will  apipcase  his  face  by  the 
present,  that  goes  before  me,  and  afterwards  see  his  face,  perhaps 
he  ivill  accept  my  face.  So  the  present  ivcnt  over  before  him, 
while  he  passed  that  night  in  the  company.  "  What  had  come 
to  his  hand  "  is  to  be  explained  according  to  it-  |xv  the  flock 
of  his  possession,  Ps.  xcv.  7.  The  proportion  of  ten  to  one  in 
the  selection  of  male  and  female  animals  is  like  2  Chron, 
xvii.  11;  comp.  Varro,  c/c  re  rust.  ii.  3.  The  abbreviation 
n^yV]  (for  C'^^yi)  is  like  ivf?  Job  iv.  2.  The  verb  t^js  18a 
(a  syn.  of  vjd)  only  occurs  again  in  the  Pent,  at  xxxiii.  8,  Ex. 

iv.  24,  27;  in  T^j^l  18b  from  t^^p^  a  secondary  form  of  t^'aa^ 

1  Sam.  xxv.  20,  the  close  of  the  first  syllable  is  dissolved, 
comp.  Cant.  viii.  2,  where  Ben-Aslier  reads  1^]}}^  and  Ben- 
Naphtali  ^p'!^??.  In  like  manner  is  C3X|^'b3  modified  from 
D3XyD3,  the  original  combination  of  syllables  being  dissolved. 
The  verb  1S3,  i^iXaaKeaOai,  which,  when  the  sinner  is  spoken 
of  in  relation  to  God,  never  has   God  or  His  wrath  as  its 


204  GENESIS  XXXII,  23-26. 

object  (see  the  ground  of  the  exposition  in  the  Comm.  on  Heb. 
ii.  17),  has  here  21h  the  accus.  of  the  person  offended,  and  at 
Prov.  xvi.  14  the  accusative  of  the  wrath.  The  Saniar. 
Targum  here  translates  ''SD'X  and  vi.  14  ''ac'm,  and  hence 
assumes  both  here  and  there  a  like  original  meaning  for 
-iD3.  To  accept  the  face  of  any  one  21&  (comp.  xix.  21)  is 
equivalent  to  favouring  his  person  and  interests,  receiving 
him  favourably.  The  night  of  226  is  the  same  as  that  of 
14a.  That  extracts  from  different  sources  are  discharged  into 
these  statements  is  apparent  from  vv.  2.3,  24,  where  the  two 
sources  are  seen  flowing  side  by  side :  A^id  he  arose  up  in  that 
night  and  took  his  two  vnves  and  his  two  handmaids  and  his 
eleven  children,  and  passed  over  the  ford  of  Jaliboh.  And  he 
took  them  and  hrourjht  them  over  the  stream,  and  Irought  over 
what  hclonged  to  him.  On  Kin  rhhl  "  in  that  night,"  comp. 
xix.  33,  XXX.  16.  Instead  of  i?"^C'^<"n^«  the  Samar.  has 
1^  "iC'K  b'2  riN,  which  is  involuntarily  substituted  for  the 
pregnant  briefer  expression.  Though  1'"ip\  not  VJZi^  is  used, 
Dinah  is  left  unnoticed.  The  Jabbok  is  not  the  Jarmuch 
(Ew.),  nor  mentioned  by  mistake  in  its  stead  (Hitz.),  but  (if 
we  take  'Gebel-Aglun  as  the  place  of  the  meeting  with  Laban) 
the  eastern  affluent  of  the  Jordan  (now  called  ez-Zerkd  on 
account  of  its  clear  blue  waters),  into  which  it  flows  about  1^ 
leagues  south-west  of  the  place  where  it  issues  from  the 
mountains.  The  Syrian  caravan  road  leads  to  the  ford  of  its 
upper  course ;  traces  of  ancient  buildings  project  half-hidden 
from  the  rushes  and  thickets  of  oleander ;  the  district  and  the 
region  about  the  banks  of  the  ford  testify  that  ancient 
civilisation  was  there  active. 

When  Jacob  was  now  again  alone  on  the  northern  bank, 
he  had  to  undergo  a  long  and  difficult  conflict,  ver.  25  :  And 
Jacob  remained  hchind  alone,  and  a  man  wrestled  with  him  till 
the  break  of  day.  What  is  here  related,  ver.  2  5  sqq.,  gave, 
in  the  opinion  of  the  narrator,  its  name  to  the  stream,  for  it  is 
surely  intentionally  that  he  uses  the  Niph.  P^xp,  not  elsewhere 


GENESIS  XXXII.  2r,-29.  205 

occurring  (from  pia  radically  related  to  p2n  to  hold  fast  to,  to 
close  with  one  another),  hardly  a  denominative, from  p^^  dust: 
to  make  oneself  dusty  (LXX  eTToKaiev,  comp.  TraX.?;  ^=  pollen, 
imlvis,  o-vyKoviovadai),  Hence  P'^l  is  not  in  his  mind  equivalent 
to  p'y,  from  Pi?3  cvacnans  aquas,  but  to  P^^,!,  according  to  the  kind 
of  syncope  in  «a^^  Job  xxxv.  11,  ^ij^i  2  Sam.  xxii.  40.  Tlie 
Samar.  has  in  the  Heb.  text  pnn"'l,  in  the  Targ.  C'CJNI :  he 
effected  contact,  i.e.  a  violent  struggling  embrace  {ApJicl  of 
C't^J  contrcdare,  no  denominative  from  cmj  clod.  Job  vii.  5,  as 
Ges.  in  the  Thesaurus  assumes).  Straining  of  the  hip  of  him 
vi^ho  was  not  to  be  prevailed  against,  ver.  26:  And  when  he 
saw  that  he  prevailed  not  against  him,  he  touched  the  socket  of 
his  hip  ;  then  was  the  socket  ofJacoVs  hip  strained,  as  he  wrestled 
with  him.  The  unnamed  sees  that  lie  ^^  ^'^\  ^  (comp.  Ps. 
cxxix.  2),  properly,  that  he  is  not  equal,  not  superior  to  him, 
and  he  therefore  gives  him  a  blow  on  the  socket  of  the  hip, 

so  as  to  strain  it  (J-'P^!!  from  PP',  «J;j  to  fall,  to  fall  out,  to 

occur,  LXX  ivdpK7]<7€v,  torpuit,  from  vapKuco,  which  does  not 
exactly  correspond,  but  rather  luxari),  the  sinew  of  the  hip 
undergoing  during  the  wrestling  so  violent  a  strain,  that 
Jacob  was  lamed  in  consequence.  Tiie  wrestling  having 
lasted  long  enough,  without  Jacob  being  conquered,  the 
unnamed  says,  2  7a:  Zct  me  go,  for  the  day  hrcahdh.  But 
Jacob,  divining  and  feeling  that  it  is  a  Divine  Being  whose 
attack  he  has  had  to  sustain,  keeps  hold  of  the  man  and  cries 
out,  according  to  Hos.  xii.  5,  with  tears  and  supplications,  21h: 
I  loill  not  let  thee  go  unless  thou  hless  me.  Then  the  marvel- 
lous Being  says  to  him,  ver.  28  ;  What  is  thy  name?  And  he 
said:  Jacob.  The  question  is  only  preparatory  to  the  com- 
munication which  follows,  ver.  29  :  Thy  name  shall  no  longer  he 
called  Jacohy  hut  Israel ;  for  thou  hast  fought  u-ith  Elohivi  and 
with  men,  and  hast  prevailed.  Instead  of  the  more  usual  ^'}<?^, 
xvii.  5,  xxxv.  10,  we  here  read  1p^5^  In  ^''V^^.  Esau  and  Laban 
are  thought  of.      In  ^y  the  Hoi)h.  of  b"i3  gives  the  imperfect 


206  GENESIS  XXXII.  29-33. 

form  ^3^J^5,  properly,  ca;pax  f actus  es.     The  verb  mb'  to  contend, 

is  connected  with  the  Arabic     ^  Ji,  I.,  III.,  IX.  (different  from 

the  V  "IK'  to  put  in  a  row,  se7rre,  and  it;',  Heb.  and  Babylonio- 
Assyr. :  to  rule).  Ancient  translators  all  render  rmb  like  the 
LXX  evia'xyaa'i,  they  did  not  understand  the  distinction 
between  the  verbs  rrw  to  contend  and  "i"lK'  to  rule  (comp.  ""t^^l 
Hos.  xii.  5  :  he  fought,  from  li.ti'  =  Tr\\i,\  and  on  the  other 
hand  '^'^'^\  Isa.  xxxii.  1,  they  will  rule)  ;  but  Luth.  correctly: 
For  thou  hast  fought  with  God  and  with  men.  After  this 
oracular  saying,  Jacob,  on  his  part,  also  desires  to  know  the 
name  of  the  wondrous  and,  as  he  now  the  more  certainly 
knows,  Divine  Being,  with  whom  he  has  to  do,  vv.  29,  30  : 
Thp.n  Jacob  asked  and  said :  Tell  me,  I  pray  thee,  thy  name. 
And  he  said :  Wherefore  askcst  thou  after  my  name  ?  He  gives 
no  answer,  and  yet  answers :  And  he  blessed  him  there.  It  is 
the  same  mn''  isb^  who  replies  to  the  same  question  from 
Manoah,  Judg.  xiii.  18  :  Wherefore  askest  thou  after  my 
name,  which  is  Wonderful  (ys  N^n^)  ?  His  name  is  not  cpm- 
prehensible  for  mortals,  but  the  fact  of  blessing  tells  Jacob 
plainly  enough  Who  is  before  him,  viz.  the  Almighty  Himself 
in  His  is^D.  His  blessing  has  shed  light  upon  the  darkness 
of  Jacob's  soul.  It  was  night  there,  but  light  appeared  during 
the  conflict,  and  now  it  is  full  bright  day  within  and  without, 
ver.  31  :  Then  Jacob  called  the  name  of  ihejjlace  Pemel ;  for  "  / 
have  seen  Elohirn  face  to  face,  and  my  life  was  preserved."  The 
name  ??;?''?3  (or  ^^'^'^^  with  the  connective  sound  H,  like  1^3^  inp) 
means,  as  the  LXX  translates  it,  elho<i  ©eov.  He  has  seen 
God  and  yet  (contrary  to  the  rule,  Ex.  xxxiii.  2  0)  is  preserved  ; 
the  impf.  consec.  here  denotes  a  result  contrary  to  expectation, 
as  at  xix.  9,  xlix.  24;  Driver,  §  74/3.  When  Jacob  now  goes 
farther  southwards  with  his  family,  ver.  32  :  The  sun  rose  upon 
him,  as  he  ivent  over  Penuel,  and  he  halted  iipon  his  hip.  A 
popular  custom  recalling  this  circumstance,  ver.  33  :  Therefore 
the  children  of  Israel  eat  not  of  the  sinew  of  the  hip,  which  is  in 


GENESIS  XXXiri.  1-3.  207 

the  socket  of  the  hip,  because  he  touched  it.  Even  here  the  suhj. 
continues  unnamed,  as  a  mystery  not  to  be  unveiled.      This 

sinew  (jiervios  ischiadicus)  lias  the  name  nL*'3n   Ti^  \^j]\     is., 

as  the  torpifying  or  paralysing  one,  i.e.  the  one  which  causes 
such  a  condition,  whether  momentarily  or  permanently  (see 

Ges.  Thes.y.  921&);  the  Arab.  1*a*j,  which. of  itself  already 
means  the  nerve  of  the  hip,  shows  that  ni:,':n  is  r/cn.  appositionis. 
The  straining,  stretching,  or  crushing  of  this  nerve  would  result 
in  paralysis.  The  ntoTiB'  (an  allusion  to  ritual  slaughter)  under- 
stands by  it  the  internal  sinew  of  the  so-called  hindquarter, 
including  the  external,  and  the  ramifications  of  both. 

The  meeting  of  the  brothers  now  follows,  xxx.  1-16. 
Esau  approaches,  and  Jacob  prepares  for  the  worst,  vv.  1—3  : 
And  Jacob  lifted  up  his  eyes  and  looked,  and  behold  Esau  came, 
and  with  him  four  hundred  men.  And  he  divided  the  children 
unto  Leah  and  Rachel  and  unto  the  two  handmaids.  And  he 
placed  the  handmaids  and  their  children  foremost,  and  Leah 
and  her  children  behind,  and  Rachel  and  Joseph  last.  And 
he  himself  went  before  them  and  bowed  himself  seven  times  to 
the  earth,  till  he  came  near  to  his  brother.  The  verb  nvn  to 
divide,  had  at  xxxii.  18  the  meaning  of  separating,  here  16  of 
sharing ;  he  shared  the  children  to  their  mothers,  so  that  in 
the  long  train,  the  handmaids  with  their  children  went  first, 
then  followed  Leah  with  hers,  while  Eachel  with  her  only  child 
Joseph  closed  the  procession.  Thus  at  the  passage  of  the 
Jabbok  he  reunited  the  divided  companies,  and  still  so  mis- 
trusted Esau,  as  to  place  the  members  of  his  family  at  a 
distance  from  him,  proportioned  to  the  degree  of  responsibility 
in  which  he  stands  to  them ;  nor  has  he  really  any  reason  for 
not  mistrusting  him,  and  at  all  events  nothing  can  release  him 
from  the  care  for  their  safety,  which  his  family  have  a  right  to 
expect.  He  puts  himself  at  the  head  of  the  train,  and  on  ap- 
proaching his  brother  bows  reverentially  before  him  seven  times. 
The  '^J)n|!)^''?,  TrpocTKvv'qai'i,  fully  performed,  took   place  with 


208  GENESIS  XXXIII.  4-7. 

nvix  D''DX,  Gen.  xix.  1,  comp,  1  Sam.  xxv.  23,  2  Sam.  i.  2, 
hence,  as  is  traditionally  explained,  with  D  v?"]l  D)T,  ^^^^S),  exten- 
sion of  the  hands  and  feet ;  or  only  suggestively  by  bending, 
as  one  about  to  prostrate  himself  (comp.  1  Sam.  xx.  41).  At 
all  events  Jacob  meets  his  brother  with  such  superabundant 
courtesy,  as  we  nowhere  else  meet  with  in  sacred  history. 
It  was  politic  but  not  hypocritical.  He  had  truly  sinned 
against  him,  and  ought  to  feel  ashamed.  The  external 
was  the  expression  of  the  internal  self-humiliation  which 
he  experienced,  in  remembering  his  fault.  Esau  makes  less 
ceremony,  for  he  has  a  comparatively  better,  and  none  too 
tender  a  conscience ;  he  has  let  fall  his  resolve  to  slay  Jacob. 
The  freebooter  life  awarded  him  by  his  father,  by  which  he 
too  may  be  in  his  fashion  powerful,  pleases  him.  And  now 
that  the  passion  of  revenge  has  spent  itself,  the  brotherly 
affection,  which  was  never  extinct,  is  rekindled  at  the  sight 
of  Jacob,  ver.  4  :  Then  Esau  ran  to  meet  him  and  embraced  him, 
and  fell  on  his  neck  and  kissed  him,  and  they  wept.  The  six 
points  over  'I'^i?^'!  have  the  value  of  a  critical  o/3eXo9,  on  which 
account  this  word  is  missing  in  many  MSS.  of  the  LXX.  The 
Midrash  however  takes  them  as  a  mark  of  interrogation,  which 
casts  a  doubt  on  the  sincerity  of  this  kissing,  and  would  rather 
read  'inDti'''1  (he  bit  him) ;  but  this  is  against  Esau's  character. 
As  all  kinds  of  shadows  pass  across  the  piety  of  the  son  of 
promise,  so  on  the  other  hand  is  the  energetic  son  of  nature 
capable  of  noble  impulses  and  emotions.  The  Divine  grace, 
which  ruled  in  the  paternal  house,  had  not  been  without 
influence  upon  him  also.  He  inquires  after  the  women  and 
children  in  Jacob's  retinue,  who  all  salute  him  with  the  utmost 
reverence,  vv.  5—7  :  And  he  lifted  up  Ms  eyes  and  saw  the 
women  and  the  children,  and  he  said :  How  arc  these  related  to 
thee  ?  And  he  said  :  They  are  the  children  tvhich  Elohim  has 
graciously  given  thy  servant.  And  the  handmaids  drew  nQar, 
they  and  their  children,  and  they  hoived  themselves.  And  Leah 
also  dreio  near  and  her  children,  and.  they  hoived  themselves. 


GENESIS  XXXIII.  8-11.  209 

And  last  drew  near  Joseph  and  Haehel,  and  they  hoived  them- 
selves. Here,  as  at  ver.  11,  Jacob  calls  the  God  who  has  so 
richly  blessed  him  D^"lb^^  and  that  in  the  midst  of  the 
Jahvistic  text ;  it  almost  seems  as  if  he  purposely  suppressed 
tlie  name  which  God  bears  as  the  God  of  the  history  of  re- 
demption. Esau  then  inquires  concerning  the  company  which 
he  had  met — he  had  already  heard  from  the  shepherds  that 
it  was  a  present  for  himself,  but  this  he  ignores,  vv.  8-11  : 
Then  he  said :  What  meanest  thou  lij  this  company  tohich  I  have 
met  ?  And  he  said :  That  I  may  find  grace  in  the  sight  of  my 
lord.  Then  Esau  said:  I  have  abundance,  my  brother,  keep 
what  is  thine!  But  Jacob  said:  Nay,  I  pray  thee,  if  I  have 
found  favour  in  tliy  sight,  receive  ony  present  from  my  hand,  for 
for  this  cause  have  I  seen  thy  face,  as  the  seeing  of  the  face  of 
Elohim,  and  thou  hast  received  me  kindly.  Take  then,  I  pray 
Hhee,  my  blessing,  which  is  brought  to  thee,  for  Elohim  has  dealt 
graciously  unth  me  and  I  have  all.  And  he  urged  him.  Then 
he  took  it.  In  the  question  8a,  ''P  stands  by  attraction  (as  at 
Judg.  xiii.  17)  for  no  (xxxii.  28) ;  it  relates  to  the  now  united 
five  droves  (xxxii.  15  sq.).  Esau  declines  the  present;  omit- 
ting the  title  of  my  lord  used  by  Jacob,  he  says  :  2T  v"u'\ 
i.e.  not  only  enough  (""."=1),  but  more  than  enougli.  Jacob 
however  requests  its  acceptance :  ^^^"nx  expresses  condition 
with  the  addition  of  request,  as  at  xviii.  3,  xxx.  27  ;  the  ex- 
pression of  the  request  follows  in  ^'^\h\,  according  to  Ges. 
§  126,  note  1.  On  I3"br'3  (where  '?  IS-^PV  might  be  expected) 
see  on  xviii.  5,  here :  because  occasion  and  opportunity  were 
offered  me  to  bring  thee  a  gift  of  homage,  therefore  have  I 
seen  thy  face  0"'?^^  '.^3  ^l^"}?.  If  Jacob  here  means  to  say, 
that  as  great  a  happiness  has  been  bestowed  upon  him  as  if 
he  had  seen  the  face  of  God,  this  would  certainly  be  "  odious 
humility"  (Kn.).  But  it  must  be  explained  in  accordance 
with  such  passages  as  1  Sam.  xxix.  9,  2  Sam.  xiv.  17. 
Jacob  means  to  say  that  elohimish  (we  should  say  heavenly) 
kindness  looks  upon  him  from  Esau's  face,  nor  could  he  think 
VOL.  II.  0 


210  GENESIS  XXXIII.  12-15. 

otherwise ;  for  he  must  have  recognised  in  the  disposition  of 
his  hrother,  thus  changed  against  all  expectation,  the  work  of 
the  God  who  hears  prayer  and  disposes  the  hearts  of  men 
(comp.  xxxi.  24  with  Ps.  xxxiii.  15),  and  so  liave  seen  in  his, 
a  reflection  of  the  Divine  kindness.  DTi^X  and  not  nin^  was 
here  too  in  J  the  Divine  name  appropriate  to  the  meaning. 
Dillm.  agrees  withWellh.  that  in  10&  another  meaning  of  the 
name  i5X''33  is  indicated,  than  that  given  in  E,  xxxii.  31.  Jacob 
calls  the  present  expressing  his  wish  for  a  blessing  ""n?")?,  my 
blessing.       ^^^^i"    is  equivalent    to   nx2^n ;    atli  =  ath,  is   the 

original  feminine  termination ;  comp.  the  forms  of  verbs  \!b 
Deut.  xxxi.  29,  Isa.  vii.  14,  Jer.  xliv.  33,  Ps.  cxviii.   23,  and 

of  verbs  nS  where  it  is  less  frequent.  Lev.  xxv,  21,  xxvi.  34; 
Ges.  §  74,  75,  note  1.  ''^3n  is  contracted  from  "'J^^n,  A  second 
reason  is  added  with  ''?'!,  as  at  1  Sam.  xix.  4,  Isa.  Ixv.  16. 
Esau  had  said  :  I  have  abundance  ;  Jacob  can,  in  the  con- 
sciousness that  Jahveh  is  his  God,  without  hyperbole  outvie 
him  and  say :  I  have  all.  By  thus  pressing  Esau  he  induces 
him  to  accept  the  present.  Then  Esau  remembers  the  onward 
journey  and  offers  to  escort  him,  but  this  Jacob  declines, 
vv.  12—15  :  Then  lie,  said  :  Let  its  journey  and  go  onwards,  and 
I  will  go  in  2^'>'csence  of  thee.  And  he  said  to  him  :  My  lord 
hnoweth  that  the  children  are  tender,  and  the  flocks  and  herds 
are  upon  me  as  giving  suck,  and  if  they  are  overdriven  one  day, 
all  the  sheep  will  die.  Let  my  lord,  I  pray  thee,  go  lefore  his 
servant,  and  I  ivill  move  forwards  at  my  ease  according  to  the 
pace  of  the  cattle  that  is  hefore  me,  and  according  to  the  pace  of 
the.  children  until  I  come  to  my  lord  to  Seir.  Then  said  Esau : 
Let  me,  L pray  thee,  -place  with  thee  a  portion  of  the  people  that 
are  ivith  me  ;  hut  he  said  :  Wherefore  !  Let  me  find  favour  in 
the  sight  of  my  lord  !  Esau  will  precede  If^p  Jacob,  so  that 
the  latter  having  him  in  sight  may  be  sure  of  protection.  But 
Jacob  declines ;  he  does  not  yet  feel  that  this  would  be  safe, 
is  the  remark  of  Kn.     But  could  he  who  wrestled  with  God 


GENESIS  XXXIII.  IG,  17.  211 

have  so  soon  become  again  a  designer  and  a  coward  ?  No  ; 
the  vocation  of  which  Jacob  is  conscious,  by  reason  of  the 
blessing  of  the  first-born,  obliges  him,  like  Abraham  in  the 
presence  of  the  five  kings,  just  now  to  maintain  his  indepen- 
dence in  the  presence  of  Esau,  and  not  to  involve  himself  in 
any  fresh  obligation  to  him.  Besides,  the  reasons  for  whicli 
he  deprecates  his  escort  are  no  empty  pretence,  for  he  does 
not  desire  that  Esau  should  accommodate  himself  to  the  diffi- 
culties of  his  advance,  and  he  is  unable  to  accommodate 
himself  to  the  warlike  pace  of  Esau  and  his  people,  being 
obliged  for  the  sake  of  the  children  and  flocks  to  avoid  over- 
exertion :  vV  nipy  lactantcs  (as  at  Isa,  xl.ll,  not  ladcntcs,  because 
properly  sustcntantcs,  see  on  Ps.  viii.  3)  suijcr  me,  i.e.  make 
special  care  incumbent  on  me,  because  in  the  condition  of 
giving  suck,  and  should  any  one  overdrive  them  {lun  for  ??/?, 
as  at  xxvi.  15  and  always),  etc., — the  usual  hypothetical  con- 
struction with  the  Perf.  in  both  prodosis  and  apodosis,  xlii.  38, 
xliv.  29,  comp.  xxxi.  30,  Ex.  xvi.  21  ;  Ges.  §  155.  4a.  The 
'?  of  ''Jpsp  and  ?yp  is  that  of  measure  ;  "^^spp  here  means  pro- 
perty =  cattle,  as  perhaps  also  at  1  Sam.  xv.  9,  comp.  iKCuliiim, 
peainia,  property  consisting  in  cattle.  Jacob's  destination  is 
Hebron,  thence  he  seems  to  purpose  visiting  his  brother  in 
Seir  :  he  deceives  him  by  deceiving  himself.  Esau  proposes 
to  leave  at  least  some  of  his  people  with  him  as  an  escort,  but 
this  too  Jacob  courteously  deprecates  as  unnecessary.  They 
consequently  separate  and  depart  in  different  directions,  vv. 
IC,  17  :  Therefore  Esau  returned  on  his  icay  that  day  to  Scir. 
And  J acoh  journeyed  to  Succoth  and  huilt  himself  a  house  and 
made  hooths  for  his  cattle,  therefore  he  called  the  name  of  the. 
'place  Suceoth.  The  uninterrupted  prosecution  of  his  journey 
was  not  possible  to  Jacob,  his  household  required  forbearance 
and  rest :  only  necessity  makes  this  trans- Jordauic  sojourn 
comprehensible.  Jerome  in  his  Quaestiones  on  this  passage 
remarks  :  Soehoth  usque  hodie  civitas  trans  Jordanem  in  parte 
Scythojpokos.     There  is  actually  still  a  place,  ci-'^L-,  south  of 


212  GENESIS  XXXIII.  16,  17. 

Beisan  (=:Bethsean  =  Scythopolis),  "upon  a  low  bluff  at  the 
end  of  the  ridge  above  the  Wddi  el-Mdlih  "  (Robinson  in  DMZ. 
vii.  1,  p.  59).  This  Succoih  lies  in  parte  Scythopoleos,  but  not 
trans  Jordancm.  There  must  however  have  been  also  a  Suc- 
coth  on  the  other  side  of  Jordan,  which  Jacob,  coming  from 
Mesopotamia  by  ]\Tahanaim  and  Peniel  and  crossing  over  Jordan 
to  Sichem,  would  pass.  Sichem  is  emphatically  called,  xxxiii.  1 8, 
the  first  Canaanite  town,  i.e.  the  first  place  in  the  country 
west  of  Jordan  which  he  reached.  A  Succoth  situate  trans 
Jordancm  is  also  required:  (1)  Because  a  Gadite  Succoth  is 
named  with  Beth  -  Nimra  and  other  east  -  Jordanic  places, 
and  this  must  have  been,  even  on  this  account,  on  the  left 
bank  of  Jordan,  because  the  tribe  of  Gad  had  no  possessions 
on  its  western  side.  (2)  Because  Gideon,  Judg.  viii.  4-8, 
having  passed  over  Jordan,  comes  to  Succoth  and  thence  to 
Penuel.  If  then  the  Succoth,  between  which  and  Zarthan 
Solomon  had  the  temple-vessels  cast,  lay  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Scythopolis,  1  Kings  iv.  12,  upon  the  western  side,  so  that 
we  must  distinguish  between  an  eastern  and  a  western 
Succoth,  both  P^V3  Josh.  xiii.  27,  Ps.  Ix.  8,  there  must 
beyond  all  doubt  have  been  one  east  of  Jordan,  and  this  is 
Jacob's  Succoth.  Kiepert's  maps  transpose  it  close  to  the 
left  bank  of  Jordan  above  the  Wadi  Jabis ;  but  then  Jacob 
must  have  gone  northwards  and  thus  have  twice  passed  the 
Jabbok,  which  may  be  admitted,  although  the  narrative  does 
not  say  so.  It  is  more  probable  however  that  this  Succoth 
on  the  left  bank  lay  between  the  Jabbok  and  the  high  road, 
which  leads  from  Salt  in  Gilead  to  Sichem  (Kohler,  Gcsch.  i. 
147;  Keil,  Dillm.).  Ver.  17  also  bears  in  the  N-Ji?  ja-^j; 
(therefore  he  called)  the  mark  of  J  (comp.  xi.  9,  xvi.  14,  xix. 
22,  xxv.  30,1.  11). 

Before  proceeding  farther,  we  would  once  more  review  the 
wonderful  experiences  of  Jacob  at  Mahanaim  and  Peniel.  At 
Mahauaim,  on  the  threshold  of  the  Land  of  Promise,  is 
fulfilled  to  him  what  he  had  dreamed  at  Bethel,  when  on 


GENESIS  XXXIII.  16,  17.  213 

the  point  of  lecaving  it.  What  he  here  experienced,  is  thus  in 
the  mind  of  the  narrator  no  second  dream-vision.  The  host 
of  God  has  invisible  reality  outside  himself  (a  reality  made 
for  the  moment  visible),  as  indeed  already  follows  from  its 
being  appointed  to  protect  him.  Are  we  to  judge  otherwise 
concerning  the  occurrence  at  Peniel  ?  It  is  for  the  most  part 
transposed,  as  already  by  Eusebius  (in  the  Eclogcc  proph.),  to 
the  sphere  of  the  dream  or  ecstasy.  "  A  mystic  obscurity  " — 
says  Krummacher  in  his  Paragrcqjlicn  zio  dcr  licil.  Gesch.  1818 
— "  rests  upon  this  appearing,  which  is  with  peculiar  simplicity 
represented  not  as  a  dream-vision,  which  it  indisputably  was, 
but  as  an  historical  event,  and  as  such  it  may  with  full  justice 
be  esteemed,  for  does  only  the  material,  and  that  which  is  an 
object  of  sight  and  touch,  belong  to  history,  and  is  that  which 
can  neither  be  laid  hold  of  nor  comprehended  excluded  from 
it  ? "  And  Hengstenberg :  "  In  an  external  conflict  and 
struggle,  victory  is  not  obtained  by  prayer  and  tears  as  by 
Jacob,  according  to  Hos.  xii.  4  sq."  Umbreit  {Studicn  u. 
Kritiken,  1848)  passes  the  final  sentence:  "If  we  tr}'-  to 
explain  the  passage  literally,  darkness  settles  upon  it,  and  we 
see  no  gleam  of  light,  except  the  rising  sun."  Certainly  the 
occurrence  here  related  belongs  not  to  outward  and  visible 
history,  but  to  the  spiritual  life ;  but  it  is  not  on  that  account 
purely  subjective.  The  Being  with  M'hom  he  contended  was 
not  present  only  to  Jacob's  imagination,  it  was  not  merely  an 
attack  caused  by  his  own  conscience,  but  an  attack  objectively 
real  by  God  Himself.  The  in^d  (Hos.  xii.  5)  had  not  indeed 
flesh  and  bone,  he  opposed  force  to  force  in  virtue  of  the  power, 
which  the  spirit  has  over  the  material,  just  as  our  spirit  also, 
though  it  has  not  flesh  and  bone,  sets  this  in  motion  as  it 
chooses.  But  that  Jacob  conquers  God  in  the  Divine  man,  is 
possible,  because  it  is  only  with  a  certain  measure  of  His 
omnipotence  that  God  opposes  him.  And  why  does  he 
wrestle  with  Jacob  in  this  hostile  manner  ?  Because,  as  now 
comes  clearly  to  light  in  view  of  the  meeting  with  Esau,  his 


214  GENESIS  XXXIII.  16,  17. 

possession  of  tlie  blessing  is  not  unspotted  by  sin.  It  is  for 
this  reason  that  he  is  attacked,  and  that  not  merely  by  his 
own  conscience,  which  testifies  against  this  sin,  but  by  God 
Himself,  who  makes  him  feel  it.  But  the  faith  in  the  depth 
of  Jacob's  heart  breaks  through  sin  and  weakness  and  attack, 
grasps  the  mercy  of  his  Adversary  notwithstanding  His  hostile 
demeanour,  and  wrings  anew  from  Him  that  blessing,  threatened 
with  annihilation,  which  he  now  obtains  purified  from  dross, 
sanctified,  transfigured  as  a  Divine  gift,  a  gift  of  grace.  The 
straining  of  his  hip  was  a  reminder  that  his  natural  strength 
was  nothing.  AYhat  made  Jacob  invincible  was,  as  the  Divine 
touch  proved,  not  his  hip  (Ps.  cxlvii.  1 0),  but  his  faith.  It  was 
by  this  that  he  anew  obtained  the  blessing,  wdiich  he  had  till 
now  possessed  as  the  acquisition  of  his  carnal  subtlety.  For  the 
blessing  of  the  first-born,  out  of  which  he  tricked  Esau,  could 
neither  be  the  basis  of  a  birthright  valid  before  God,  nor  the  root 
from  which  the  holy  nation  was  to  grow.  It  becomes  this  in  this 
conflict,  in  which  Jacob  re-obtains  it  as  the  prize  of  his  victorious 
faith,and  from  which  he  comes  forth  with  the  new  name  of  ^xib', 
which  (of  like  meaning  as  it  seems  with  '^^"J'^')  does  not  directly 
signify  the  fighter  of  God,  i.e.  figliter  with  God  (for,  as  Nestle, 
Eigcnnamcn,  pp.  30-63,  has  shown,  bx  is,  in  all  personal  names 
compounded  with  i^x,  intended  as  subject,  not  as  object),  but 
"  God  fights,"  yet  so  that  this,  by  reason  of  the  occasion, 
acquires  the  meaning  of  one  with  whom  God  fought  and  who 
thus  had  to  fight  with  God ;  thus  e.g.  pn)'^  means  the  laugher, 
but  according  to  its  meaning  is  the  designation  of  him  who 
was  the  object  of  laughter;  also  P3!I  (  =  pbx''_)  means  the 
wTestler,  but  designates  the  stream  where  the  wrestling  took 
place.  Thus  Jacob  is  called  ^xiiy  as  the  man  fought  with  by 
God,  but  connotatively  as  the  man  who  sustained  the  fight  with 
God.  This  name  he  henceforth  bears,  especially  in  J,  but  in 
none  of  the  sources  so  exclusively  as  Abram  and  Sarai  bear 
those  of  cmas  and  mb'  after  they  were  given  them  by  God, 
xvii.  5,  15.     For  these  two  names  designate  the   transition 


GENESIS  XXXIII.  18-20.  215 

into  a  new  and  ever-continuing  position  effected  and  appointed 
by  the  Divine  will  and  promise,  and  therefore  entirely  abolish 
the  former  names.  Eut  the  name  biir\\T  denotes  a  spiritual 
demeanour  determined  by  faith,  beside  which  the  natural, 
determined  by  flesh  and  blood,  was  henceforth  to  go  on  in 
Jacob's  life.  Jacob-Israel  is  herein  the  prototype  of  the 
nation  descended  from  him. 

THE  SOJOUEN  IN  SICHEM.       SIMEON  AND  LEVl's  VENGEANCE  FOR 
THE  DISHONOURING  OF  DINAH,  CJI.  XXXIII.  18-XXXIV. 

The  second  portion  of  the  third  section  of  the  Toledoth  of 
Isaac,  xxxiii.  18  to  xxxiv.,  relates  to  the  atrocity  perpetrated 
by  Simeon  and  Levi  upon  the  Sichemites.  Vv.  18-20  form 
the  transition  :  And  Jacob  came  in  peace  to  the  city  of  ''Scchem 
which  is  in  the  land  of  Canaan,  upon  his  journey  from  Paddan 
Aram,  and  he  encamped  hcfore  the  city.  And  he  hought  the 
piece  of  ground,  where  he  Imd  pitched  Ms  tent,  at  the  hand  of 
the  sons  of  Hamor,  the  father  of  ^Sechem,  for  a  hundred  ICsltah. 
And  he  erected  there  an  altar  and  called  it  "  El  God  of  Israel" 
The  LXX,  Syr.  Euseb.  Jerome  take  D?^  as  the  name  of  a 
place,  and  SCdim  is  actually  the  name  of  a  village  situated  on 
a  rocky  eminence  east  of  Nablus,  certainly  that  near  which 
John  baptized,  John  iii.  23,  and  from  which  the  valley  of 
Salem,  Judith  iv.  4,  had  its  name.  But  then  Q2C^  T'j;  would 
be  in  opposition  to  this  ^f,  which  is  inadmissible  (for  that 
a  daughter  city  should  be  called  T*];  of  the  mother  city  is 
without  authentication) ;  hence  of  the  two  meanings  :  in  Salem 
and  in  pace  (see  Eonsch,  Buch  dcr  JuUldcn,  pp.  141-143), 
which   the   Leptogenesis   places  together,  D^tr  has   here   the 

latter  (whence  Saadia  translates :  he  came  U!Lj  to  the  city 
of  2S^abulus);  dV^'  is  equivalent  to  Di^tJ'  xliii.  27  (as  the 
Hebraeo-Sam.  reads :  vjala  ja'aJcob  salom  ir  eskem),  or  Oiby'a, 
in  safety,  he  came  to  the  city  of  Shechem  as  it  was  promised 
him,  xxviii.  15,  comp.  21.     The  territory  of  Sichem  (situate, 


216  GENESIS  XXXIII.  18-20. 

as  iws  pxn  nc^x  states,  in  Canaan  proper  on  the  right  of  the 
Jordan)  is  already  mentioned  in  Abraham's  time,  xii.  6  ;  the 
then  still  new  city  was  regarded  as  founded  by  Chamor,  a 
Hivite  prince,  and  called  after  his  son  (Judg.  ix.  28,  com  p. 
Josh.  xxiv.  32).  That  father  and  son  are  called  Asinus  and 
Humerus  recalls  the  blessing  of  Issachar,  xlix.  14  sq.,  though 
the  ancient  position  of  Sichem  upon  the  "  shoulder "  of 
Gerizim  makes  the  allusion  doubtful.  In  any  case  there  is 
no  need  to  refer  the  name  "iiDH  to  an  ass  honoured  as  a  deity 
{DMZ.  xl.  156).  Nor  need  we  be  astonished  to  find  the  D"''!'?, 
who  dwelt  in  the  period  after  Moses  from  the  Antilebanon  to 
Hamath,  Josh.  xi.  3,  Judg.  iii.  3,  here  in  the  midst  of  Canaan, 
where  they  formed  a  small  kingdom,  as  in  Gibeon,  J03I1. 
ix.  11,  19,  they  formed  a  small  republic;  Mount  Ephraim 
may  have  been  their  original  abode,  whence  they  were 
subsequently  driven  northwards  until  they  disappeared  after 
the  time  of  Solomon  (1  Kings  ix.  20).  In  the  neighbour- 
hood 0.?2i"nx  as  at  xix.  13,  Lev.  iv.  6)  of  this  Sichem  Jacob 
encamped  and  bought  the  piece  of  ground  on  which  he 
pitched  his  tent,  from  the  ruling  family  of  the  D3t^'  "'3K  "ivon-^:3 
(comp.  Judg.  ix.  28),  for  one  hundred  Ivesitah  (to  which  Josh, 
xxiv.  32  refers),  as  Abraham  bought  the  cave  of  Machpelah 
from  the  Hethites  for  four  hundred  shekels,  xxiii.  16  (both 
which  purchases  are  entangled  into  one,  Acts  vii.  16). 
LXX,  Onkelos,  the  Targ.  Job  xxiv.  11  and  Jerome  translate 
r\]y't'\>  by  SS"i^n  lamb  (comp.  Samar.  NSilj;  and  with  it  the  Syr. 
[Siiy  money) — a  meaning  which  n'Li'b'p  must,  according  to 
Gen.  Hatha  c.  79,  have  really  had  in  the  common  tongue. 
R.  Akiba  however  relates  (Bosch  ha-Shanah  26a)  that  in 
Africa  (certainly  among  the  Carthaginians)  he  heard  a  coin 

called  r!D''bp,  which  is  not  improbable,  k^uis    being  applied  to 

all  sorts  of  designations  of  quantity.  We  are  not  obliged  with 
Cavedoni  to  understand  nti'b'p  of  an  uncoined  piece  of  silver 
of  the  value  of  a  lamb,  or  with  Poole  of  a  weight  in  the  shape 


GENESIS  XXXIII.  18-20.  217 

of  a  lamb  (sucli  weights  occur  iiidceJ  among  the  Egyptians, 
Assyrians,  and  also  among  the  Persians,  in  the  forms  of  lions, 
dogs,  and  geese),  but  ni2^b'p  means  directly  a  weighed  piece  of 
metal,  and  one  indeed,  as  shown  by  xxiii.  16,  Job  xlii.  11,  of 
considerably  higher  value  than  the  ^i^*^',  but  not  more  par- 
ticularly definable  (comp.  Madden,  Hutory  of  Jewish  Coinage, 
1864,  p.  6  sq.).  The  piece  of  ground,  acquired  at  this  price 
by  Jacob,  was  the  plain  extending  at  the  east  end  of  the 
narrow  valley  between  Ebal  and  Gerizim,  where  Jacob's  well 
and  Joseph's  grave,  from  one  to  two  hundred  paces  north  of 
the  latter,  are  still  shown  (Josh.  xxiv.  32).  Upon  this  piece 
of  purchased  ground  Jacob  erects  an  altar,  not  a  "^^sp,  for  the 
circumstance  that  2"^'?  is  used,  xxxv.  14,  20,  for  the  erection  of 
a  pillar,  does  not  prove  that  here  too  naro  was  substituted  for 
an  original  na^'c  belonging  to  3i*|;l  (Wellh.  Dillm.).  He  calls 
the  altar  ''^yf  1  "'i?^^^  ^^.  Having  returned  in  safety  from  a 
strange  country,  he  again  settles  in  Canaan,  and  according  to 
his  vow  thankfully  acknowledges  the  God  whom  he  calls 
b>^,  and  who  appeared  to  him  in  Bethel,  xxxi.  13,  as  Ids  God, 
the  God  of  Israel  (see  xxxii.  25  sqq.).  The  name  bsnb^  Ti^^x  b^ 
as  the  name  of  the  altar  is  meant,  as  it  were,  of  its  inscrip- 
tion. In  the  Mosaic  period  ^5<"ib'^  \"i^s  ^S  was  changed  into 
hvr\^  Nibs  nin^  Ex.  xxxiv.  23,  the  favourite  name  for  God  in 
the  book  of  Joshua. 

From  DIN  pjrp  ixbii  xxxiii.  18«  it  is  seen  that  B  is  here 
speaking  in  words  from  Q,  to  whom  belongs  also  ver,  19,  the 
counterpart  to  the  purchase  in  Hebron,  ch.  xxiii.,  while  on 
the  other  hand  ver,  20,  the  counterpart  to  Ex.  xvii.  15,  may 
be  derived  from  E.  In  the  history  of  the  vengeance  taken  on 
Shechem  for  the  dishonouring  of  Dinah,  which  now  follows  in 
ch,  xxxiv,,  and  which  the  unconnectedly  inserted  notice  xxx,  21 
had  in  view,  Q  and  J  are  the  chief  narrators.  The  accounts 
of  both  as  met  with  by  it  essentially  agreed.  In  both  cir- 
cumcision was  made  a  condition  to  the  Shechemites,  after 
Dinah  had  in  both  been  carried  of  and  dishonoured  by  the 


218  GENESIS  XXXIV.  1,  2. 

young  prince,  but  most  anxiously  demanded  by  liim  in 
marriage — in  both  she  is  taken,  and  is  again  taken  back, 
2h,  m,  265.  In  vv.  1-2,  4,  6,  8-10,  14-18,  20-24,  Q 
is  unmistakeable ;  the  demand  of  circumcision  is  repeated, 
151),  221),  in  the  same  words  as  in  xvii.  10,  and  the  transac- 
tion at  Shechem  is  similar  to  that  at  Hebron,  eh.  xxiii.  (comp. 
the  twofold  iT'y  nyti'  ""X^i'-^D  ver.  24,  and  the  twofold  ^3 
IT'y  "lyLJ'  ""xa  xxiii.  10,  18).  Just  as  evident  is  J's  mode  of 
statement  at  vv.  3,  5,  7,  11-12,  19,  25-26,  30-31.  Cer- 
tainly the  term  N'St?  for  dishonouring  is  authenticated  else- 
where only  in  the  Priest  Codex  and  Ezekiel,  but  the  formula 
f'XiC''3  nL"y  rhi:  is  Deuteronomic,  Deut.  xxii.  21,  and  "iy3=mj;3 
(which  in  the  Pent,  occurs  only  once,  Deut.  xxii.  19)  is  each 
of  the  twenty-one  times  (in  Gen.  xxiv.  14,  16,  xxviii.  55,  57, 
xxxiv.  3a,  Sh,  12)  Jahvistic  or  Deuteronomic.  In  Q  Hamor, 
in  J  Shechem  is  the  chief  speaker,  which  is  easily  fitted 
together;  it  is  clearly  seen  from  vv.  8—10  (Q)  and  11-12 
(J),  how  the  two  accounts  are  placed  side  by  side  to  complete 
each  other.  The  case  of  the  abruptly  commencing  portion, 
vv.  27-29  (with  ver.  13),  is  peculiar;  this  like  xlviii.  21 
seems  to  come  from  B,  who  has  related  the  conquest  of 
Shechem  only  according  to  its  external  aspect,  as  a  deed  of  arms 
by  the  sons  of  Jacob.  This  apportioning  of  sources  seems 
to  me  more  than  probable,  while  Dillm.  thinks  otherwise,  and 
Kuenen  makes  a  different  analysis.  Evidence  and  agree- 
ment are  here  scarcely  attainable. 

Dinah  visits  the  city  from  the  new  dwelling-place  of  her 
father,  ver.  1  :  Then  Dinah,  the  daughter  of  Leah  whom  she 
hare  to  Jacob,  went  out  to  see  the  daughters  of  the  land.  It  is 
Q  who  thus  begins :  "  Daughters  of  the  land,"  like  xxvii.  46, 
comp.  "  people  of  the  land,"  xxiii.  12.  The  son  of  the  prince 
of  the  land  is  captivated  by  her  beauty,  keeps  her  with  him 
and  dishonours  her,  ver.  2  :  And  "Scehem  the  son  of  Hamor  the 
Hivite,  the  ])rince  of  the  land,  saw  her,  took  her,  lay  ivith  her  and 
humiliated  her.     Cajetanus  (Thomas  de  Vio)  already  remarks 


GENESIS  XXXIV.  3-7.  219 

iu  his  Conim.  on  Genesis:  Multis  annis  post  rediium  Jacdbi 
ex  Mesopotamia  peractis  hoc  accidit  ct  ad  minus  ajjparct  quod 
anni  fluxerunt  decern,  ut  ct  Dina  essct  oiuhilis  ct  Simeon  et  Levi 
ad  helium  di^positi.  Sucli  is  also  the  view  of  Bonfr^re, 
Petavius  and  Hengstenberg  (Auth.  2.  352  sq.).  Dinah  was 
then,  as  also  Demetrius  in  Euseb.  Frcep.  ix.  2 1  computes,  in 
her  sixteenth  year,  i.e.  assuming  that  she  was  born  in  tlie 
second  seven  years  of  the  Aramsean  sojourn.  According 
however  to  the  after  calculation,  given  ch.  xxx.,  she  was  in 
lier  fourteenth,  Simeon  in  his  twenty-first,  and  Levi  in  his 
twentieth  year.  It  may  be  objected  against  both  these  state- 
ments of  Dinah's  age,  that  the  time  from  Jacob's  return  to  the 
selling  of  Joseph,  which  took  place  after  Jacob's  entrance 
into  his  father's  house,  amounts  to  only  eleven  years  (from 
Joseph's  sixth  to  his  seventeenth  year),  and  that  one  year  is 
too  short  for  the  occurrence  in  ch.  xxxv.  But  much  can 
liappen  in  a  year ;  we  must  therefore  adhere  to  the  view,  that 
Dinah's  dishonour  falls  in  the  tenth  year  after  the  return  to 
Canaan.  Is  '"^nx  with  ^PrV-  the  ace.  of  the  object  ?  Accord- 
ing to  xxvi.  10,  xxxv,  22,  Lev.  xv.  18,  24  and  other  passages 
it  seems  so,  and  the  Keri  !^3?3i^"l  Deut.  xxviii.  30,  assumes 
that  this  pregnant  construction  of  nac*  (y\nii  instead  of  the 
expected  l^^V)  is  possible,  nay  usual.  In  Dinah's  case  matters 
were  different  from  Thamar's,  whom  Amnou,  after  the  satis- 
faction of  his  passion,  hated  as  much  as  he  had  loved,  vv.  3,4: 
And  his  soul  clave  unto  Dinah,  the  daughter  of  Jacob,  and  he 
loved  the  damsel  and  spake  to  the  heart  of  the  damsel.  And 
^Scchcm  said  to  Hamor :  Get  me  this  damsel  to  wife.  The 
young  seducer  only  loved  her  whom  he  had  seduced  the  more, 
soothed  her  with  pleasant  prospects  of  the  future,  and  actually 
entreated  his  father  to  take  him  the  damsel  for  a  wife ;  for 
the  marriage  of  children  was,  according  to  ancient  domestic 
arrangement,  the  business  of  parents  (xxiv.,  xxi.  21).  Jacob 
hears  what  has  happened,  the  sons  of  Jacob  hear  it,  and  mean- 
time the  wooer  arrives,  vv.  5-7  :  And  Jacob  heard  that  he  had 


220  GENESIS  XXXIV.  8-10. 

dishonoured  Dinah  his  daughter,  and  his  sons  were  with  the 
cattle  in  the  field,  and  Jacob  held  his  iieace  until  they  came. 
And  Hamor,  the  father  of  ^SecJiem,  came  out  unto  Jacob,  to  com- 
mune with  him.  But  the  sons  of  Jacob  came  in  from  the  field 
when  tliey  heard  it,  and  the  men  felt  grieved,  and  were  very 
wroth,  that  he  had  wrought  folly  in  Israel  in  lying  vnth  JacoVs 
daughter,  which  thing  ougld  not  to  be  done.  The  dishonour  of 
a  sister  was  a  matter  which  touched  the  brothers  even  more 
closely  than  the  father.  The  expression  7&,  there  being  as 
yet  no  people  of  Israel,  sounds  anachronistic,  like  Deut.  xxii. 
21,  Judg.  XX.  lU,  2  Sam.  xiii.  12  sqq.,  Jer.  xxix.  23  ;  but  it 
is  only  so  to  a  certain  extent,  since  the  family  of  Jacob  with 
its  dependants  had  already  the  semblance  of  a  family  develop- 
ing into  a  nation  (comp.  xxxv.  6).  np33  riu'y  is  the  standing 
expression  for  carnal  transgressions,  which  are  more  accurately 
called  iTft,  Judg.  xx.  6,  and  ?9^;  n^n3  because  the  man  who 
follows  his  carnal  impulses  in  opposition  to  nature,  honour  and 
decency,  is  a  paragon  of  folly.  The  potential  ntf^'^-  means 
here:  so  should  it  not  be  done,  as  at  xx.  9,  Lev.  iv.  27  (comp. 
xxix.  26  :  so  it  is  not  wont  to  be  done).  Hamor  now  comes 
and  woos  for  his  son,  vv.  8-10  :  Then  Hamor  spolce  to  thcvi 
thus :  The  soul  of  my  son  "Sechem  is  bound  to  your  daughter  ;  I 
pray  you,  give  her  to  him  to  wife.  And  make  ye  alliances  with 
us,  give  your  daughters  to  us  and  take  our  dcnighters  to  you. 
And  dwell  with  lis — the  land  shall  be  open  before  you,  dicell  in 
and  pass  through  it  and  settle  therein.  "  Your  daugliters " 
zeugmatically  include  the  brothers,  who  are  here  especially 
concerned.  I3rix  after  "  make  ye  alliances,"  cannot  be  meant  as 
an  ace.  but  stands  for  li^X  (1  Xings  iii.  1),  for  which  also 
133  or  3/  would  be  allowable,  "ino  combined  with  the  ace. 
like  vv.  eundi,  is  here  meant  of  passing  through  the  land  as  '^^'^ 
(xxiii.  16),  hence  of  liberty  to  trade  (different  from  xlii.  34). 
TnN3  to  settle  is,  like  'ijt'^,  an  expression  of  the  Elohistic  style, 
xlvii.  27,  Num.  xxxii.  30,  Josh.  xxii.  9,  19.  The  old  prince 
is  ready  to  fraternize  with  Jacob,  but  the  young  prince  also. 


GENESIS  XXXIV.  11-18.  221 

without  waiting  for  Jacob's  answer,  places  in  the  balance 
words,  with  which  his  love  for  Dinah  inspires  him,  vv.  11,  12  : 
And  ^Scchem  said  to  her  father  and  her  brothers :  Let  me  find 
grace  in  yonr  eyes,  and  what  you  shall  say  to  me  I  will  give. 
Lay  iipon  me  a  very  high  price  and  dowry,  and  I  will  give  what- 
ever you  say — only  give  me  the  damsel  to  icifc.  He  will  agree 
to  everything  to  the  highest  "ino  bride-purchase  money  (Arab. 
mahr,  Syr.  mahra)  and  the  largest  ]^^  bridal  present  (Gen. 
Eabba :  pis  K"i3,  7rapd(f)epva,  according  to  a  common  inaccurate 
use  of  this  word  of  the  gift  of  the  husband  to  the  wife,  comp. 
Ex.  xxii.  15  sq.  LXX),  if  they  will  only  give  him  the  maiden 
to  wife.  It  sounded  extremely  flattering  to  Jacob  and  his 
sons  that  their  flesh  and  blood  should  be  so  highly  esteemed. 
But  if  they  had  consented  to  the  offer  of  Hamor,  the  family 
of  Jacob  would  by  blending  with  the  heathen  have  forfeited 
their  redemptive  vocation ;  and  if  the  brothers  of  Dinah  had 
let  the  matter  be  settled  with  money,  they  would  have  defiled 
their  more  than  princely  nobility  and  sacrificed  their  moral 
feeling  to  Mammon.  This  they  refuse  to  do,  and  appear 
thereby  morally  great ;  but  their  moral  greatness  is  blackened, 
by  passion  making  them  inventive  and  inspiring  them  with  a 
plan  of  revenge,  which,  unless  God  had  presided  over  this 
entanglement  of  good  and  evil,  might  easily  have  proved  the 
destruction  of  the  sacred  family,  vv.  13-18  :  Then  the  sons  of 
Jacob  answered  ^Sechem  with  guile,  and  said,  because  he  had 
dishonoured  Dinah  their  sister.  And  they  said  to  them :  We 
cannot  do  this  to  give  our  sister  to  one  that  is  uncircumcised,  for 
that  is  to  us  disgraceful.  Only  on  this  condition  ivill  ive  consent 
unto  you,  if  ye  become  as  we  are,  that  you  let  every  male  among 
you  be  circumcised.  Then  will  we  give  our  daughters  to  you, 
and  ivill  take  your  daughters  to  us,  and  we  will  dwell  with  you 
and  become  one  people.  And  their  words  were  acceptable  in  the 
eyes  of  Hamdr,  and  in  the  eyes  of  ^Scehem  the  son  of  Hamdr. 
The  sons  of  Jacob  answered  '"iplP?  and  said,  because,  etc. 
In  any  case  ntrx  (as  at  ver.  27=  ji'"")  introduces  the  reason  for 


222  GENESIS  XXXIV.  19. 

their  concealed  plan  of  vengeance,  and  we  must  either  read 
here,  transposing  the  words,  HDinn  linT'l  (Olsh.  Schrad.  Dillna.), 
or,  which  is  less  probable  :  i|i"^  means  here  to  act  from  behind, 
a  Piel  meaning  of -O  to  be  or  go  backward  (trans,  to  lead, 
to  bring  backward),  proved  for  the  Hebrew  also  by  1"'^  (see  on 
Ps.  xxxviii.  2),  and  shown  to  be  at  least  possible  by  2  Chron. 
xxii.  10,  where  '^T!.''.'!,  assuming  the  integrity  of  the  text,  has 
the  meaning  of  murderous  destruction.  They  cannot  give 
their  sister  to  one  who  is  uncircumcised,  because  that  (the 
state  of  uncircumcision)  is  a  disgrace  with  them ;  but  riNfii 
for  this,  i.e.  this  act  on  their  part,  they  will  consent  unto 
them  (niX3   from  nix,  not  imperf.   Kal  like   t^i3\  but  iviperf. 

Niph.  to  agree  about  anything,  allied  to  nnx,      ji,  used   in 

post-biblical  diction  as  a  participle :  agreeing  to,  suitably) 
if  they  (the  Hivites)  become  as  they  (the  Jacobites)  are, 
pisnp  by  all  the  males  among  them  submitting  to  circumcision  ; 
then  will  they  give  to  them  their  sister  (l^nJl,  per/,  conscc. 
according  to  Ges.  §  126.  6,  note  1),  and  unite  themselves 
with  tliem  as  one  people.  Shechem  hastens  to  fulfil  the 
condition,  ver.  19  :  And  the  young  man  deferred  not  to  do 
the  thing,  for  he  had  delight  in  JacoVs  daughter,  and  he  was 
the  most  honoured  in  all  the  house  of  his  father.  The  con- 
dition did  not  displease  the  two  wooers.  Shechem  really 
loved  Dinah,  besides  circumcision  was  the  custom  of  most  of 
the  Canaanites  and  Egyptians,  while  heathen  worship  required 
far  greater  mutilations ;  the  thousands  of  Eoman  proselytes 
who,  according  to  Cicero,  ^?'o  Flacco,  c.  28,  filled  Italy,  show 
how  much  more  compliant  antiquity  was  in  this  respect  than 
modern  times  would  be.  The  account  as  at  present  constructed 
here  at  once  remarks  that  the  young  man,  whose  example 
would  go  far,  because  he  was  the  most  respected  member  of 
his  family,  made  no  delay  ("in??  for  inx,  like  !>??).  The 
different  sources  betray  themselves  by  the  circumstance,  that  in 
ver.  20  both  first  return  home,  and  he  would  hardly  undergo 


GENESIS  XXXIV.  20-24.  22:> 

the  operation  previously.  The  princely  pair  now  proclaim  in 
the  city,  and  indeed  in  the  gate  (the  Oriental  forum),  the 
treaty  entered  into,  vv.  20-24:  Tlicn  came  Hamor  and  his 
son  "Scchcni  to  the  gate  of  their  city  and  spake  thus  to  the  men  of 
their  city :  These  men  are  friendly  with  us,  and  they  will  dwell 
in  the  land  and  go  through  it  ;  and  the  land,  hchold  it  lies  before 
them  spacious  towards  the  right  hand  and  the  left :  we  will 
take  their  danghters  to  us  for  wives,  and  we  tcill  give  them  our 
daughters.  Only  under  this  condition  will  the  men  consent 
unto  us,  to  dwell  icith  us,  to  become  one  people,  that  we  circum- 
cise every  male  among  us,  as  they  are  eirciuneised.  Their  cattle 
and  their  property  and  all  their  beasts  of  burden,  vnll  not  this 
be  ours?  Let  us  only  consent  to  them,  that  they  may  dwell 
with  us.  Then  to  Hamdr  and  his  son  "Seehem  hearkened  all 
that  went  out  to  the  gate  of  his  city,  and  all  the  males  were 
circumcised,  all  that  went  out  to  the  gate  of  his  city.  DX' 
xxxiii.  18  means  to  be  in  safety,  here,  to  be  in  good  relation, 
to  stand  on  a  peaceful  friendly  footing  with  (ns,  comp.  DV 
1  Kings  viii.  61  and  frequently).  They  give  to  Jacob  and 
his  family  the  praise  of  being  thoroughly  well-meaning  people. 
Besides,  the  laud  is  of  such  spacious  extent  (Ps.  civ.  25)  that 
they  may  go  about  in  it,  without  becoming  inconvenient ; 
they  next  declare  the  certainly  unwelcome  condition  which  is 
to  cost  the  Shechemites  blood  (Qv'^?,  partic.  of  tlie  Niph.  which 
like  the  praet.  runs  through  the  whole  scale  of  vowels  :  "i3J,  D^3, 
pja?),  but  at  the  same  time  somewhat  sweeten  it  by  adding 
that  their  cattle,  beasts  of  burden,  and  property  in  general 
(to  be  explained  according  to  xxxvi.  6,  Num.  xxxii.  2G) 
may  be  looked  upon  by  them,  the  Hivites,  as  their  own,  or 
may  in  the  end  become  theirs.  This  recommendation  of  the 
treaty,  which  Jacob  and  his  family  indeed  must  not  hear  of, 
although  it  was  only  a  rhetorical  artifice,  inclined  the 
Shechemites  to  consent,  for  self-interest  is  the  dnor  to  all 
hearts,  and  all  who  went  out  to  the  gate  of  Shechem's  citv 
(xxiii.  10,  18)  submitted  to  circumcision.     The  operation  of 


224  GENESIS  XXXIV.  25,  26. 

circumcision  is  however  no  slight  matter  ;  it  may,  if  unskilfully 
or  incautiously  performed,  become  dangerous  through  haemor- 
rhage, caries,  etc.  Adults  have  therefore  to  lie  in  bed  and  keep 
quiet  for  three  days,  while  frequently  healing  does  not  take 
place  till  from  tliirty-five  to  forty  days.  Hence,  on  the  third, 
the  critical  day,  the  men  of  Shechem  were  all  down  (comp. 
Josh.  V.  8),  and  thus  fell  victims  to  a  sudden  and  malicious 
attack,  vv.  25,  26  :  Ajid  if  came  to  pass  on  the  third  day,  when 
they  were  sore,  that  the  two  sons  of  Jacob,  Simeon  and  Levi,  the 
brothers  of  Dinah,  took  each  his  sivord  and  surprised  the  careless 
city,  and  hilled  every  male.  And  Hamor  and  his  son  "Scchcm 
they  killed  with  the  edge  of  the  sword,  and  took  Dinah  out  of 
"Sechem's  house  and  departed.  They  came  upon  the  city  npn, 
not  as  Luther,  thiirstiglich,  i.e.  rashly,  confidcntcr,  but  to  be 
referred  to  the  city :  in  a  condition  free  from  care  (comp. 
Ezek.  XXX.  9),  struck  down  every  male,  and  especially  the 
two  princes,  according  to  (/cara)  the  edge  of  the  sword,  i.e. 
letting  this,  which  is  conceived  of  as  a  mouth  that  devours, 
have  its  way.  It  was  Simeon  and  Levi,  the  "  two  sons  of 
Jacob,"  M'ho  carried  out  this  sudden  assassination,  which  their 
father  disowned  shortly  before  his  death,  xlix.  5-7.  In  vv. 
2  7-2  9  however,  the  other  sons  of  Jacob  are  also  participators : 
The  sons  of  Jacob  fell  upon  the  slain  and  plundered  the  city, 
because  he  liad  dishonoured  Dinah  their  sister.  Their  sheep 
and  oxen  and  asses,  and  what  was  in  the  city  and  what  was  in 
the  field,  they  took  aioay.  And  all  their  property  and  all  their 
children  and  seines  they  carried  away  captive,  and  plundered  all 
that  was  in  the  house.  The  beginning  is  abrupt  (comp.  on 
the  other  hand  7«)  and  1^2.2.  TC'S'^D  nxi  drags  behind,  just  as 
lia'T'l  does  in  ver.  13;  the  refrain-like  "because  he  had  dis- 
honoured (her),"  common  to  vv.  13  and  27,  proves  that  vv. 
13,  27-29  are  taken  from  a  special  source,  which,  turning' 
away  from  the  moral  aspect  of  the  matter,  relates  the  conquest 
of  Shechem,  in  the  sense  of  xlviii.  2  2,  as  a  deed  of  arms  on  the 
part  of  the  whole  family  of  Jacob.     The  two  nsi  286  may  be 


GENESIS  XXXIV.  30,  31.  225 

conceived  corrclatively  like  Num.  ix.  l-l,  tlie  )  of  nxi  29/^ 
perhaps  in  the  sense  of  etiam ;  but  probably  as  in  ver.  1:5 
(read  n^ion  n^nn),  so  here  too,  a  displacement  of  the  text 
may  have  occurred,  and  the  original  text  may  have  run  :  nxi 
1Tn"'l  ISC'  ^22  "ir'S  ^3  (comp.  Obad.  ver.  11,  2  Chron.  xxi.  17). 
Now  follows  the  continuation  from  J,  which  joins  on  to  ver. 
26,  vv.  30,  31  :  Then  Jacob  said  to  Simeon  and  Levi:  Ye  have 
irouhled  me,  to  make  me  to  stinh  among  the  inhabitants  of  the 
land,  the  Canaanitcs  and  FlLcrizitcs,  and  yet  I  am  a  numerable 
2)cople,  and  if  they  gather  together  against  me,  they  will  smite  me, 
and  I  shall  be  destroyed,  land  my  house.  The  verb  "i^y  to  shake 
together,  conturbare,  is  found  in  the  Jahvistic  style  also  at 
Josh.  vi.  18,  vii.  25.  t^^^^^n  to  make  evil,  especially  of  evil 
odour,  here  with  the  accus.  of  the  person,  Ex.  v.  2 1  with  the 
accus.  12^''?."^"'^.  "  Canaanites  and  Pherizites "  as  the  popu- 
lation of  the  country  also  at  xiii.  7.  "ISPP  ''^o  numerable  = 
few  people,  is  Jahvistico-Deuteronomic  (Deut.  iv.  27) ;  *1PV*? 
(and  ''^P^''?)  is  a  frequent  word  in  Deut.  (occurring  elsewhere  in 
the  peroration  of  the  law  of  holiness,  Lev.  xxvi.  30).  Jacob 
laments  the  fatal  deed,  but  they  (Simeon  and  Levi)  justify  it,  ver. 
3 1 :  But  they  said:  Shoidd  one  treat  our  sister  as  a  harlot  ?  The 
verb  nb'y  tractarc,  as  at  Lev.  xvi.  15  and  frequently.  "^^ifpH 
has  3  ra2)h.  as  at  xxvii.  38,  Job  xv.  8,  xxii.  13,  and  Gaja 
before  the  Pathach  in  distinction  from  the  article,  it  is 
uncertain  whether  with  t  majusculam,  comp.  Frensdorff, 
Ochla-vx-Ochla,  p.  88.  Simeon  and  Levi  have  the  last  word, 
but  Jacob  speaks  the  last  of  all  in  his  testamentary  sayings. 
The  most  sinful  part  of  it  was,  their  degrading  the  sacred 
sign  of  the  covenant  to  so  base  a  means  of  malice.  And 
yet  it  was  a  noble  germ  which  exploded  so  sinfully.  The 
Divine  righteousness,  which  fashioned  the  subsequent  history, 
turned  this  also  to  account.  The  energetic  moral  purity, 
which  the  two  tribes  display  in  these  their  beginnings,  was 
sanctified  by  grace  and  profited  all  Israel.  When  this  is 
considered,  the  view  of  the  vengeance  of  Simeon  and  Levi, 

VOL.  II.  P 


226  GENESIS  XXXV.  1-8. 

which  underlies  xxxiv.  27-29,  xxxv.  5,  xlviii,  22,  and  accord- 
ing to  which  this  warlike  occurrence  was  perhaps  related  in 
the  'n  nion^D  'd  Num.  xxi.  14,  will  be  found  explicable. 
The  unbending  strictness,  with  which  the  history  abstains 
from  interposing  any  judgment  or  reflections,  is  admirable. 

THE  LAST  EVENTS  OF  ISAAC's  LIFE,  CH.  XXXV. 

The  third  and  last  section  of  the  Toledoth  of  Isaac  ends 
with  the  third  portion,  ch.  xxxv.  The  contents  of  this  chapter 
are  as  miscellaneous  as  Old  Testament  biographies  in  general, 
as  also  Arabic  biographies,  are  wont  to  be  towards  their  close. 
From  Succoth  Jacob  went  to  the  district  of  Shechem,  every 
station  bringing  him  nearer  to  his  father's  home.  Between 
his  arrival  in  Canaan  however  and  his  entrance  into  that 
home  an  interval  of  several  years,  during  which  he  lived  at  a 
distance  from  his  aged  father,  took  place.  1.  Eeturn  to 
Bethel  and  death  of  Debokah,  xxxv.  1-8,  from  E,  without 
interpolations  being  (as  by  Dillm.)  denied  to  him.  The  reason 
for  his  long  sojourn  in  Shechem  is  unknown  to  us.  An  inner 
voice  now  directs  the  patriarch  to  leave  the  neighbourhood  of 
Shechem,  which  had  been  so  cruelly  devastated,  and  to  go  to 
Bethel,  where  upon  his  flight  he  had  had  the  encouraging 
dream-vision  of  the  ladder  reaching  to  heaven  :  And  Eloliim 
said  to  Jacob  :  Arise,  go  up  to  Bethel  and  dwell  there,  and  build 
there  an  altar  to  the  God  that  appeared  to  thee,  ivhen  thou 
fieddest  from  the  face  of  thy  brother  Esau.  Then  Jacob  said  to 
Ms  household  and  to  all  that  were  with  Mm:  Put  away  the  strange 
gods  ivhich  you  have  among  you,  and  purify  yourselves  and 
change  your  garments.  And  ive  will  arise  and  go  up  to  Bethel, 
and.  I  ivill  erect  an  altar  there  to  the  God  who  heard  me  in  the 
day  of  my  distress,  and  was  icith  me  in  the  ivay  that  I  luent. 
Then  they  gave  to  Jacob  all  the  strange  gods  which  were  in  their 
hand,  and  the  rings  which  were  in  their  cars,  and  Jacob  bitried 
them   unde/r   the   terebinth  lohich  ivas  in  Shechem.     And  they 


GENESIS  XXXV.  1-8.  227 

journeyed,  and  a  terror  of  Elohim,  was  upon  the  cities  that  were 
round  about  thcrn,  and  they  did  not  pursue  the  sons  of  Jaeoh. 
So  Jacob  came  to  Luz,  v)hich  is  in  the  land  of  Canaan,  the  same 
is  Bethel,  he  and  all  the  people  that  ivere  with  him.  And  he  built 
there  an  altar  and  called  the  place  El  Bethel,  for  there  God 
manifested  Himself  to  him,  when  he  ficd  before  his  brother. 
There  Deborah,  BebeJcah's  nurse,  died  and  was  buried  beloia  Bethel 
under  the  oak,  and  they  called  its  name  the  oak  of  weeping. 
Before  starting  on  the  journey  to  Bethel,  by  which  he  obeyed 
the  behest  of  God,  and  at  the  same  time  fulfilled  a  promise 
formerly  made  to  Him,  Jacob  bids  those  belonging  to  both  his 
narrower  and  wider  family  circle,  to  put  away  tlieir  "  gods  of 
the  strange  land  "  ("i^3,  original  form  ntkar,  like  ^^V,  "^V'^), 
which  had  been  long  enough  tolerated  from  his  too  indulgent 
affection  for  his  wives,  and  to  make  fit  preparation  for  visiting 
the  holy  place  (Ex.  xix.  14  sq.).  There  in  Bethel  is  he  to 
dwell,  there  is  he,  in  conformity  with  his  vow,  to  make  this 
place  a  house  of  God,  i.e.  a  place  of  worship,  xxviii.  22,  to 
build  an  altar  to  the  God  who  heard  him  in  the  day  of  distress 
(conip.  the  saying  Ps.  xx.  2,  which  perhaps  .alludes  to  this 
passage  of  Genesis),  and  was  with  him  on  his  way  to  the 
strange  country.  Then  they  gave  to  the  patriarch  all  the 
strange  gods  (among  which  were  Rachel's  teraphim) ;  they 
gave  him  also  their  earrings  (which  served  as  amulets  or 
charms,  Targums  N*?''7ij' ;  comp.  talisman  =TeXe(T/ia),  and  he 
buried  these  things,  which  would  profane  the  holy  place, 
'^^^'}  ^^^,  ill  Shechem.  The  LXX  adds  Kal  airoiXea-ev  avra  eaxi 
Tr]<;  a7]fjL€pov  r]fM€pa<i.  The  place  overshadowed  by  this  tere- 
binth consecrated  by  Jacob,  and  perhaps  already  by  Abram 
(xii.  6,  comp.  Deut.  xi.  30),  was  in  Joshua's  time  (Josh, 
xxiv.  26,  where  it  is  pointed  ^f^^,  comp.  on  the  other  hand 
Judg.  ix.  6)  esteemed  as  a  'n  t^^i?p,  and  Joshua  there  erected 
the  memorial  stone  of  the  oath  of  covenant  faithfulness  to 
Jahveh  here  taken  by  the  elders  of  the  people.  The  ancient 
patriarchal   injunction  :  i^.?']   ''i?^?!^"^*?  ''"'^Pv',  is   purposely  re- 


228  GENESIS  XXXV.  1-8. 

peated  in  Joshua's  address,  xxiv.  23.  Yer.  5,  whicli  joins  on 
to  xxiv.  27-29  and  furnishes  an  indispensable  explanation, 
explains  how  it  was  that  Jacob  could  thus  quietly  prepare  for 
and  take  his  journey,  and  hence  must  not  (with  Dillm.)  be 
denied  to  E  as  an  insertion  of  B  (the  redactor).  "  A  terror  of 
Elohim,"  D^nSx  nnn  (comp.  2  Chron.  xx.  29,  Zech.  xiv.  14). 
i.e.  one  more  than  natural  (according  to  heathen  expression : 
iravLKov  Seifia),  fell  upon  the  cities  round  about,  none  ventured 
to  pursue  the  sons  of  Jacob,  who  had  smitten  and  plundered 
Shechem  ;  and  so  Jacob  arrived  with  all  his  household,  which, 
especially  now,  when  the  women  and  children  taken  prisoners 
from  Shechem  were  added  to  it,  was  so  numerous  that  they 
could  be  called  a  Dy  at  Luz  "  in  the  land  of  Canaan  "  (comp. 
xlviii.  3).  It  is  not  strange  (even  though  6a  were  not  ^'s),  but 
of  deliberate  purpose,  that  Bethel,  the  station  which  became  so 
important  on  the  outward  journey,  is  here  on  the  return  journey, 
when  it  acquired  new  importance,  so  circumstantially  designated, 
as  at  xxviii.  19,  by  both  its  new  and  its  ancient  name.  He 
builds  there  an  altar,  and  now  calls  the  place  of  the  altar,  as 
formerly  the  whole  spacious  part  in  front  of  Luz,  ^'^^''2  7^ 
(comp.  xxxiii.  20),  in  remembrance  of  the  former  Divine 
manifestation  on  his  flight  from  Esau  (comp.  on  the  plural  of 
the  verb  combined  with  D'''?^^^'^  xx.  13).  This  is  the  fifth 
altar  in  the  patriarchal  history,  Abraham  erected  one  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Bethel,  xii.  8,  comp.  xiii.  4,  and  one  in 
Mamre  near  Hebron,  xiii.  8  ;  Isaac  one  in  Beersheba,  xxvi.  2  5  ; 
Jacob  one  in  Shechem,  xxxiii.  20,  and  one  here  in  Bethel, — it 
is  nowhere  said  that  sacrifice  was  offered  on  these  altars ;  they 
seem  to  be  regarded  by  the  narrator  as  places  of  devotion,  not 
of  sacrifice.  Eebekah's  nurse,  who  had  followed  her  mistress 
to  Canaan,  xxiv.  59  (J"),  called,  as  we  here  first  learn,  Deborah, 
was  then  found  among  the  followers  of  Jacob  who  journeyed 
with  him  ;  a  circumstance  for  which  we  can  imagine  many 
reasons,  but  only  by  means  of  worthless  conjectures.  Being 
now  of   advanced  age,  she  died   at  Bethel,  and  was  buried 


GENESIS  XXXV.  9-15.  229 

lielow  Bethel,  under  the  oak,  which  received  the  name  of 
ni32  p?S  oalc  of  ivccping,  or  oak  of  mourning  ('^■^i??5,  as  at  xxv. 
26),  probably  the  very  tree  which  is  called  irji^"^.  ipri  Judg. 
iv.  5,  perhaps  also  one  and  the  same  with  "ii3n  psi  l  Sam. 
X.  3.  This  Deborah  must  have  been  a  faithful  nurse  and 
family  friend,  since  the  house  of  Jacob  so  lamented  her,  and 
both  legend  and  history  found  her  worthy  of  such  perpetua- 
tion. If,  according  to  heathen  legend,  the  nurse  of  Dionysos 
(nin3,  jBa«;^o9  ?)  is  buried  in  Scythopolis  (Plin.  h.  n.  5.  18), 
and  there  is  a  grave  of  Silenos  in  the  land  of  the  Hebrews 
(Pausan.  Eliaca,  c.  24),  with  which  J.  D.  Michaelis  already 
combined  xxxv.  4,  these  are,  like  the  name  and  cultus  of  the 
Bactylia,  distorted  echoes  of  what  is  here   related.      2.  The 

IIENE^VAL    OF    THE    HONOURABLE    NAME    OF    ISKAEL,    VV.    9-1 5  : 

Ami  Elohim  appeared  to  Jacob  again  on  his  return  from  Paddan 
Aram  and  blessed  him.  And  Eloldm  said  to  him  :  Thy  name 
is  Jacob,  thy  name  shall  no  longer  be  called  Jacob,  but  Israel 
shall  thy  name  be.  And  Elohim  said  to  him  :  I  am  El  Shaddai, 
be  fruitful  and  multiply,  a  nation  and  a  company  of  nations 
shcdl  arise  from  thee,  and  kings  shall  come  out  of  thy  loins. 
And  the  land,  ivhich  I  have  given  to  Abraham  and  Isaac,  to  thee 
ivill  I  give  it,  and  to  thy  seed  after  thee  will  1  give  the  land. 
And  Elohim  went  iip  from  him  at  the  place  where  He  had 
spolccn  to  him.  And  Jacob  set  up  a  p)illar  at  the  place  where 
He  had  spohcn  to  him,  a  pillar  of  stone,  and  he  poured  thereon 
a  drink-offering  and  poured  oil  thereon.  And  Jacob  called  the 
place,  where  Elohim  had  spoken  to  him.  Bethel.  Elohim  appears 
again  (liy  by  72  as  a  retrospect  at  xxviii.  11  sqq.)  to  Jacob 
when  returned  from  Aramcea  (D"]f?  pi?),  gives  him  the  name  of 
Israel,  and  renews  to  him  the  promises  given  to  Abraham, 
ch.  xvii.,  that  D^ia  bT\\A  ''Si,  a  whole  nation,  nay  a  multitude  of 
nations,  shall  arise  from  him,  and  kings  proceed  from  his  loins 
0"'>Vr'p,  as  at  1  Kings  viii.  19,  2  Chron.  vi,  9,  for  which  else- 
where V^..  ^^\  xlvi.  26,  Ex.  i.  5,  never  \^n9),  and  that  He  will 
give  to  him  and  to  his  seed  the  land  promised  to  the  fathers 


230  GENESIS  XXXV.  9-15. 

(P.'fv'"^^  at  the  beginning  and  close  of  the  verses,  comp.  the 
palindrome,  ii.  2,  vi.  9,  xiii.  6,  Lev.  xxv.  41,  Dent,  xxxii.  43, 
and  comp.  on  this  figure,  Jesaia,  p.  408),  calling  Himself  as 
He  did,  ch.  xvii.  (but  never  with  respect  to  Isaac),  ''T^  b^, 
Elohim  then  goes  up  (bvi]  just  as  at  xvii.  22),  and  Jacob  erects 
upon  the  spot,  where  this  revelation  was  vouchsafed,  a  stone 
memorial  pillar,  pours  out  upon  it  a  drink-offering,  probably 
of  wine  (comp.  Ex.  xxx.  9),  pours  oil  upon  it,  and  calls  the 
place  ''^O''?-  This  is  the  second  time  that  the  bestowal  of 
this  name  is  related,  comp.  xxviii.  19  (not  the  third  time, 
since  the  name  of  the  altar  place  bxiT'a  ha  ver.  7  presupposes 
that  the  local  name  f'sri"'!  already  existed).  Both  these 
occurrences,  the  change  of  Jacob's  name  and  the  erection  of 
a  memorial  pillar,  have  already  been  related  by  U,  the  former 
xxxii.  25  sqq.,  the  latter  xxviii.  18.  Here  the  manner  of  Q 
is  unmistakeable,  though  not  unmixed.^  The  manifestation 
which  Jacob  experienced  on  his  return  journey  from  Aramtea 
is  here  comprised  in  one  entire  picture,  and  the  erection  of 
the  pillar  with  the  bestowal  of  the  name  Bethel  is  postponed  in 
the  same  manner  that  the  Synoptists  retrospectively  transpose 
the  purification  of  the  temple  by  Jesus,  which  took  place  at 
the  first  Passover,  to  the  last.  A  libation  is  here  added  to  the 
anointing  of  the  memorial  stone  with  oil,  perhaps  to  make  this 
consecration  symbolically  an  expression  of  thankful  joy. 
Jacob  himself  looks  back,  xlviii.  3  sq.,  to  this  appearing  of 
God  in  Bethel.  It  is  easily  conceivable  in  the  position  which 
it  occupies.  Jacob  has  now  again  arrived  at  Bethel,  whence 
he  started ;  for  what  other  purpose  has  God  directed  him  to 
Bethel  but  to  crown  him,  at  this  closing  point  of  his  history, 
as  at  its  commencement,  with  promises  of  blessing  ?  3.  Birth 
OF  Benjamin  and  death  of  Kachel,  vv.  16-20:  And  they 

^  According  to  Kuenen  {Eml.  §  13,  note  4),  the  account  of  P^  ( =  Q)  is  enlarged 
by  R  i'rom  JE,  and  Hosea  is  based  upon  J.  It  is  certain  that  Hos.  xii.  5,  who 
there  follows  the  course  of  events,  intends  none  other  than  this  very  theophany 
in  Bethel  (not  xxviii.  11  sqq.),  and  that  his  reference  cannot  be  utilized  for  the 
date  of  Q. 


GENESIS  XXXV.  16-20.  231 

journeyed  from  Bethel,  and  there  was  still  a  kihrah  of  land  unto 
Ephrath,  then  Eachcl  travailed  and  had  hard  lahour.  And  it 
came  to  pass,  when  she  was  in  such  hard  lahour,  that  the  mid- 
wife  said  to  Jier :  Fear  not,  for  this  time  too  thou  shall  have  a 
son.  When  then  her  soul  was  departing — for  she  died — she 
called  his  name  Ben-oni,  hut  his  father  called  him  Benjamin. 
And  Eachcl  died  and  was  buried  in  the  ivay  to  Ephrath,  the 
same  is  Bethlehem.  And  Jacob  erected  a  pillar  upon  her  grave, 
the  same  is  the  pillar  of  Eachcrs  grave  to  this  clay.  With 
respect  to  the  source  of  this  portion,  one  thing  is  certain,  viz. 
that  1*76  leads  us  to  infer  that  it  is  from  the  same  writer  as 
XXX.  24,  therefore  from  J,  and  also  from  the  same  as  xlviii.  7 
(which  see).  The  noun  ni:i2  (also  Assyr.)  is  a  measure  of 
length  from  the  stem  "i?3  (whence  also  132  long  ago),  and 
cannot  be  more  closely  defined ;  the  Onkelos  -  Targ.,  which 
translates  *^J^"}X  2n3  (properly  a  yoke  or  acre  of  land,  from 

2"1?  fc^^l)  to  plough),  gives   a  precedent  for  a  transposition  of 

sound ;  the  word  means  in  general  a  considerable  length,  and 
probably,  as  may  be  inferred  from  this  passage  together  with 
2  Kings  V.  19,  an  hour's  journey,  so  that  the  Persian  FarsaJch 
or  Farsang,  Trapaad<y'y7)<i  (Syr.,  Arab.,  Samar.  Tavus),  which 
according  to  Talmudic  estimates  amounts  to  four  miles 
{milliaria),  according  to  Arabic  estimate  to  12,004  ells, 
corresponds.  Jacob  was  as  near  as  this  to  Bethlehem  when 
Uachel  was  seized  with  travail  pains  and  had  hard  labour 
{Piel  HDp,  here  the  intensive  of  the  Kal :  to  be  very  hard, 
to  have  great  difficulty,  Hiph.  as  really  transitive,  to  inflict 
or  suffer  hardship).  The  midwife  (comp.  xxxviii.  28)  en- 
courages her.  When  Joseph  was  born,  liachel  bad  wished 
for  another  son,  xxx.  24.  She  must  now,  in  this  hard  birth- 
time,  brace  herself  for  the  fulfilment  of  her  wish.  But  she 
dies  (^n»  finitum,  as  also  xlviii.  7),  and  while  dying  names 
her  new  -  born  son  'piX'l?  "  son  of  my  sorrow ; "  H.X,  from 
pis  to  breathe,  whence   it  means   sometimes  emptiness  in  a 


232  GENESIS  XXXV.  lfi-20. 

physical  and  etliic  sense,  sometimes  exertion  of  strength, 
painful  effort,  and  especially  hard  labour  in  childbirth  (comp. 
Isa.  xlii.  14).  Jacob  however  called  him  pip^i?  (always 
according  to  the  Kcri  and  1  Sam.  ix.  1  one  word,  and 
with  i  in  the  first  syllable  as  more  homogeneous  with  the 
following  "•,  comp.  Arab.  ihn  =  hwj,  here  wdth  "•  in  the  last 
syllable,  but  mostly  written  defectively  JP^??)  "  son  of  pro- 
sperity," whether  because  this  son  was  born  in  the  time 
of  his  prosperous  independence,  or  because  he  completed 
the  fortunate  number  of  twelve  sons.  The  ridit  side  is, 
according  to  both  Eastern  and  "Western  notions,  the  lucky 
side  (D3fZ.  xxi.  601-604).  It  is  true  that  there  is  no 
further  authentication  of  the  meaning  fortune,  power,  pro- 
sperity (like  ^.Jv»j)  for  T^],  but  much  that  is  unauthenticated 

is  elsewhere  found  in  proper  names.  The  ancient  interpretation 
Jilius  dierum  is  rejected  by  Jerome,  while  he  himself  explains 
Jtlius  dextcrcc  hoc  est  mrtutis.  "  Son  of  the  south "  is  more 
suitable  (Ps.  Ixxxix.  13),  in  distinction  from  those  born  in 
Aramsea  (Arab.  Sclidm,  the  left  =  northern)  (llashi) ;  but 
Canaan  nowhere  bears  this  name.  Jacob  buried  his  beloved 
wife  on  the  way  to  Ephrath-Bethlehem,  and  erected  upon  her 
grave  a  aTijK/q,  of  which  the  narrator  says  that  it  is  to  be 
seen  "  to  this  day."  A  chapel  is  now  built  over  Eachel's 
grave,  which  the  road  from  Jerusalem  to  Betlilehem,  two 
leagues  to  the  south,  passes.  It  lies  to  the  right,  about  300 
paces  from  the  road,  in  a  small  hollow  under  a  group  of  olive- 
trees.  It  is  only  half  a  league  thence  to  Bethlehem ;  the 
burying- place  and  the  birth-place  \vould  certainly  not  be 
exactly  the  same  (with  which  xlviii.  7  is  also  compatible). 
1  Sam.  X.  2  however  is  in  apparent  contradiction  with  this 
specification  of  the  place,  which  in  the  time  of  Jesus  was 
thus  and  no  otherwise  understood,  Matt.  ii.  16—18.  Then. 
V.  Lengerke,  Kn.  Graf,  Hitz.  Dillm.  and  others  (see  the 
articles  "  Eachel "  in  Eiehm's  HW.,  and  Eyssel,  Untersuchungcn 


GENESIS  XXXV.  l.;-20.  233 

iihcr  Muha,  1887,  p.  247)  get  rid  of  the  contradiction  by 
expunging  Dn^  n^z  KM  here  and  at  xlviii.  7  as  incorrect 
glosses,  and  placing  Ephrath  in  the  territory  of  Benjamin, 
between  the  Piamah  of  Samuel  and  the  Gibeali  of  Saul.  But 
at  1  Sam.  x.  2  we  have  n>7V  where,  according  to  this  hypo- 
thesis, we  should  have  expected  max  ;  the  "  less  known "  ^ 
Benjamite  Ephrath  having  been  invented  purely  in  the 
interests  of  criticism  (Kohler,  Gcsch.  i.  loO);  and  it  is  an 
incorrect  inference  from  ]\Iicah  iv.  8  (see  Caspari,  Miclia, 
p.  151),  that  the  station  '17J^"'''^.J'?  ver.  21,  leads  us  only  to 
the  neighbourhood  of  Jerusalem,  and  not  quite  to  that  of 
Bethlehem.  The  tower  of  the  flocks  (for  the  protection  of 
the  flocks,  comp.  2  Kings  xviii.  8,  2  Chron.  xxvi.  10)  is  in 
the  neiglibourhood  of  Bethlehem,  where  tradition  also,  since 
the  time  of  Jerome,  though  uncertain  as  to  the  exact  locality, 
places  it,  20  minutes  east  of  the  city  (Tobler,  Bdhlchan, 
p.  255  sqq.),  and  n"i?fr?  (with  Jle  local  "^niSN,  the  usual  form 
out  of  Genesis,  Euth  iv.  11,  Micah  v.  1)  is  Bethlehem  (as  is 
also  evident  from  1  Chron.  iv.  4),  the  native  city  of  David ;  it 
shares  the  name  •^C'l??  only  perhaps  with  Kirjath-Jearim  (see 
on  Ps.  cxxxii,  6),  which  however  lay  out  of  the  route  of  both 
Jacob  and  Saul,  assuming  that  Eamah  of  Samuel  is  one  with 
Eamathajim  Zopliim  =  Ilamah  of  Benjamin,  tlie  position  of 
which,  two  leagues  north  of  Jerusalem,  is  now  occupied  by 
the  village  er-Bdm,  situate  upon  a  cone-shaped  hill  east  of 
the  road  to  Nablus.  Keil  combines  1  Sam.  x.  2  with  the 
elsewhere  testified  situation  of  Bachel's  grave,  by  supposing 
that  the  city,  1  Sam.  ix.  6,  wdiere  Saul  finds  Samuel,  is  not 
Eamah  (Ptamathajim  Zophim).  But  this  is  very  improbable, 
f]iv  j'^X  ver.  5  pointing  to  the  Eamah  or  double  Piamah,  dis- 
tinguished from  other  Pamahs  by  the  additional  name  D'SiV. 
The  contradiction  in  question  between  1  Sam.  x.  2  and  Gen. 
XXXV.  20,  xlviii.  7,  must  be  acknowledged,  for  in  1  Sam.  x.  2 
Ptachel's  grave  is  transposed  into  the  territory  of  Benjamin, 
1  So  Eugen  Hermann,  Prolegomena  zur  Gesch.  Sauls  (1886),  p.  38. 


234  GENESIS  XXXV.  21,  22. 

and  this  never  extended  so  far  southwards  as  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Bethlehem,  where,  according  to  Gen.  id.,  Eachel 
was  buried.  Jer.  xxxi.  15  is  also  favourable  to  the  local 
definition  of  1  Sam.  x.  2,  according  to  which  Samuel  sends 
Saul  back  to  Gibeah  (now  Tidcil  el-FiU,  Bean  hill).  For  he 
makes  there  Eachel,  the  ancestress  of  the  tribes  of  Joseph  and 
Benjamin,  rise  from  her  grave  at  Ptamah  and  lift  up  her 
voice  in  lamentation  over  the  depopulated  land  of  her 
children.  HOT  is  that  Bamah  of  Benjamin,  where  the  exiles 
of  Judah  and  Benjamin  assembled  after  the  catastrophe  of 
Jerusalem  (Jer.  xl.  1).  Thus  no  other  expedient  is  left,  than 
to  admit  the  existence  of  two  traditions  concerning  the 
burial-place  of  Ptachel,  one  of  which  placed  it  at  the  borders 
of  Benjamin,  the  other  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Bethlehem, 
which  indeed  bore  the  name  of  '"I'^lr?  ^[^  ^^''?  (Micah  v.  1), 
or  simply  n"]SN!  from  the  district  in  which  it  lies.  Eachel 
died  in  about  the  50th  year  of  her  age,  at  latest  in  the 
106th  year  of  Jacob's,  so  that  Benjamin  would  be  at  the 
time  of  the  migration  into  Egypt  at  least  24  years  old. 
4.  Jacob's  fuether  joueney,  and  Eeuben's  disgraceful  act, 
vv.  21,  22a:  And  Israel  journeyed  and  pitched  Ms  tent  beyond 
the  tower  of  the  fiocks.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Israel  dwelt 
in  that  land,  that  Reitben  went  in  and  lay  with  Bilhah,  his 
fathers  conciibine,  and  Israel  heard  of  it.  Jacob  may  have 
tarried  some  considerable  time  at  the  station  beyond  Migdal 
'Eder,  though  not  so  long  as  at  Shechem.  ib'J'n  has  a  dageshed 
i  contrary  to  rule  (see  on  Ps.  xL  15).  Eeuben  here  carnally 
transgresses  against  Bilhah,  the  t;'JT3  (see  on  xxii.  24)  of  his 
father.  On  Eeuben's  incestuous  act  nothing  further  is  said 
but,  in  preparation  for  xlix.  4,  that  Israel  heard  of  it.  In  this 
portion,  vv.  21,  22a,  the  threefold  repetition  of  ^sib^  (after 
Spy*  had  preceded  at  20a)  is  striking;  so  also  is  the  abrupt 
b'^-\\y''  I'DC'""!  for  which  the  space  in  the  middle  of  the  verse 
(p"iD2  j;^'»j?3  NpDS)  makes  as  it  were  a  break ;  after  it  a 
Pethuche  (s),  just  as  at  Deut.  ii.  8  a  Sethuine  (d),  begins  in 


GENESIS  XXXV.  22-29.  235 

the  middle  of  the  verse  (see  Buxtorf,  Lex.  Talm.  under 
NlDVie).^  The  LXX  fills  up  the  space  by  koI  irovqpov  i(f>dvr} 
ivcoTTcov  avTov  (comp.  on  iv.  8).  These  nispDD,  of  which 
three  occur  in  the  Pentateuch  and  twenty-eight  from  Joshua 
to  Ezekiel  (most  of  them  in  the  books  of  Samuel),  are  men- 
tioned in  neither  the  Talmud  nor  Midrash,  and  hence  seem  to 
be  an  arrangement  of  the  post-Talmudic  Masoretes,  which 
was  however  only  imperfectly  carried  out.  22a  is  doubly 
accentuated :  ?^?")^''!  has  Athnach  and  also  Silluk,  according 
as  from  nhm  to  huDi^''  is  read  as  a  half  or  as  a  whole  and  com- 
pleted verse.  Those  who  read  ver.  22  by  themselves  con- 
clude it  with  ^xib%  but  those  who  read  it  in  public  hasten 
past  its  objectionable  contents,  and  conclude  with  "^^'V  D'^iK' 
(see  Heidenheim  m  loco,  and  Geiger,  Urschrift,  372  sq.). 
5.  List  of  the  sons  of  Jacob,  according  to  their  mothers, 
vv.  22J-26  (parallel  with  1  Chron.  ii.  1,  2):  So  then  the  sons 
of  Jacob  were  twelve.  The  impf.  consec.  joins  on  to  the 
account  concerning  the  second  son  of  Jacob  by  Eachel. 
Hereupon  follow  the  twelve,  according  to  their  mothers,  and 
within  this  division,  according  to  their  ages  (in  accordance 
with  chs.  xxix.  and  xxx.).  The  list  closes,  26&;  These  are  the 
sons  of  Jacob,  which  were  born  to  him  in  Paddan  Aram  ('ip.'' 
instead  of  ^'^T'..  xxxvi.  5,  according  to  Ges.  143.  lb).  This, 
strictly  speaking,  applies  only  to  tlie  eleven,  and  not  to 
Benjamin ;  but  it  is  referred  to  him  also  as  completing  the 
number  twelve,  and  as  supplementing  the  eleven ;  besides,  he 
too  was  born,  not  in  the  house  of  his  grandfather,  but  on  the 
home  journey  from  Aramsea.  The  list  is  from  Q.  It  would 
be  too  improbable  to  suppose  that  he  regarded  Benjamin  also 
as  born  in  Haran,  6.  Jacob's  arrival  at  his  father's 
house,  and  the  death  of  the  latter,  vv.   27-29  :  And 

'  This  halving  of  the  verse  before  VnM  is  ancient.  R.  Chaninah  b.  Gamliel 
was  listening  in  the  synagogue  of  Cabul  to  the  Methurgeman,  who  was  about  to 
translate  22a,  and  called  out  to  him  :  Stop,  only  translate  pinX,  if-  the  second 
half!  Meijilla  25d.  The  Orientals  however  placed  Silluk  with  Soph  pasuk 
after  pX"li/'^  yDw"1  (see  Baer's  edit,  of  the  five  Megilloth,  p.  v.). 


236  GENESIS  XXXV.  27-29. 

Jacob  came  to  Isaac  his  father,  to  Maiiirc  of  Kirjath-Arha,  the 
same  is  Hebron,  where  Abraham  and  Isaac  sojourned;  and 
the  time  of  Isaacs  life  amounted  to  one  hundred  and  evjlUy 
years.  And  Isaac  dcixirted  and  died,  and  loas  gathered  to 
his  people  old  and  fidl  of  days,  and  his  sons  Esau  and  Jacob 
buried  him.  Continuation  from  Q.  Isaac  at  this  time  dwelt 
in  Elone  Mamre,  near  the  city  V"^"^^^,  i.e.  of  the  Anakite 
chieftain  of  that  name  (comp.  p^VJ}  Num.  xiii.  22  and  fre- 
quently, nsin  2  Sam.  xxi.  16  and  frequently),  the  subsequent 
Hebron,  which  (already  dedicated  by  Abraham,  xiii.  18) 
remained  a  place  of  worship  down  to  the  time  of  the  kings 
(2  Sam.  XV.  7).  The  name  Hebron  was  the  usual  one  in 
the  time  of  the  narrator  (comp.  Josh.  xiv.  15,  Judg.  i.  10). 
City  of  Arba'  was  the  more  ancient  name,  Mamre  that  of  the 
site  of  the  terebinths  upon  its  territory  (comp.  xxiii.  19  with 
xiii.  18).  It  is  strange  that  Jacob  should  not  till  now  have 
come  to  Mamre.  Could  he  have  been  a  decade  in  Canaan 
without  seeing  his  aged  father  ?  Certainly  not.  But  it  was 
now  that  he  first  came  to  him  to  dwell  entirely  with  him. 
Did  Jacob  and  his  mother  ever  meet  again  ?  Pressel  thinks 
so,  but  the  silence  of  the  narrative  favours  Grossrau's  view :  ^ 
"  Eebekah  had  indeed  hoped  that,  when  Esau's  wrath  was 
mitigated,  she  should  be  able  to  send  for  her  favourite  son ; 
but  no  message  of  this  sort  reached  Jacob,  and  when  he 
returned  through  his  own  resolve,  Eebekah  was  buried." 
The  Toledoth  of  Isaac  are  now  closed  at  ver.  28  sq.  This 
was  not  as  yet  the  chronological  place  for  recounting  Isaac's 
death ;  for  if  we  admit  the  dates  not  derived  from  Q  in  the 
history  of  Joseph  into  the  chronological  web  of  Q,  the 
followinfc  relations  of  time  result.  Jacob  having  been  born 
in  Isaac's  60th  year,  xxv.  26,  and  Isaac  living,  as  we  are 
here  told,  to  be  180,  Jacob  would  be  120  when  his  father 
died;  and  as  Jacob   was  130  years  old  when  he  was  pre- 

^  In  his  Commentary  on  Genesis  (1887),  p.  262  sq.,  in  wliich  he  tries  to  show- 
that  Genesis  was  written  by  one  autlior,  Moses. 


GENESIS  XXXV.  27-2D.  237 

sented  to  Pharaoh,  xlvii.  19,  Isaac  died  only  10  years 
before  the  migration  into  Egypt.  And  since  from  9  to 
10  years  (the  7  fruitful  and  2  of  the  barren  years)  elapsed 
between  Joseph's  elevation  in  his  oOth  year,  xli.  4G,  and 
the  migration,  Isaac  did  not  die  till  about  the  period  of 
Joseph's  elevation.  Besides,  since  at  Joseph's  elevation  in 
his  30  th  year  13  years  had  elapsed  since  he  was  sold  in 
his  I7th  year,  Isaac  was,  when  Joseph  disappeared,  167 
years  old.  Hence  he  shared  for  13  years  the  grief  of  his  son 
Jacob  for  the  loss  of  Joseph,  and  his  life  ended  in  tbe  deep 
unilluminated  darkness  of  this  sorrow.  The  history  buries 
him  thus  early  in  order  to  pass  on  over  his  grave  to  the  new 
great  turn  in  the  history  of  Israel.  Hitherto  the  history 
of  Jacob  has  been  always  subordinated  to  the  history  of  Isaac, 
from  which  Jacob  starts  and  to  which  he  returns.  But  now 
that  he  has  become  the  father  of  twelve  sons,  from  whom  the 
twelve-tribed  nation  of  Israel  descends,  his  own  independent 
Toledoth  may  begin.  The  history  of  the  patriarchs  outlives 
itself  by  losing  itself  in  an  old  age  of  scarcely  any  historical 
importance.  But  for  the  patriarchs  theniselves  it  was  of 
the  greatest  importance.  They  became  thereby  full  of  years. 
They  longed  to  have  done  with  this  world,  they  longed 
therefore  for  the  other  world.  The  other  world  was  night 
to  them,  for  the  sun  of  the  New  Testament  Easter  morn 
had  not  yet  risen,  but  the  star  of  the  name  of  Jahveh  shed 
a  light  for  them  also  upon  the  other  world.  The  ^pN'l 
V»y~bx  (here  said  ver.  29  of  Isaac,  xxv.  8  of  Abraham,  xlix. 
33  of  Jacob)  tells  us  more  than  that  their  corpses  were 
gathered  to  the  corpses  of  their  people.  Their  souls  were 
associated  with  the  souls  of  their  people  in  Hades,  and 
because  heaven  would  be  no  heaven  without  God  (Ps.  Ixxiii. 
25),  so  too  was  Hades  no  hell  fur  those  who  had  God  in  their 
hearts. 


IX. 

THE  TOLEDOTH  OF  ESAU,  XXXVI. 

(Parallel  witli  1  Chron.  i.  35  sqq. } 

Esau  and  Jacob  joined  hands  once  more  over  the  corpse  of 
tlieir  father.  Thence  their  ways  separated  without  ever 
again  meeting.  Hence  Esau  is  finished  off  in  this  ninth  and 
last  but  one  chief  division  of  Genesis.  The  Toledoth  of  Esau 
precede  Jacob's  as,  xxv.  12  sqq.,  those  of  Ishmael  preceded 
Isaac's.  The  historiographic  course  of  Genesis  is  not  how- 
ever the  only  motive  for  this  arrangement.  It  has  besides 
this  the  historical  motive,  that  the  development  of  the 
branches  broken  off  from  the  good  olive  tree,  and  growing 
up  independently,  far  outstripped  the  development  of  this 
good  olive  tree  itself.  Just  as  secular  greatness  in  general 
grows  up  far  more  rapidly  than  spiritual  greatness,  so  did 
Ishmael  and  Edom  become  nations  long  before  Israel.  It  is 
on  this  account  also  that  the  Toledoth  of  Esau  precede  those 
of  Jacob.  The  important  genealogico  -  ethnographic  section 
is  "  a  model  of  the  manner  and  method  in  which  Q  was 
accustomed  to  produce  the  material  he  had  in  hand,  these 
being  elsewhere  obscured  by  the  rending  asunder  of  his 
portions "  (Dillm.).  Nevertheless,  although  the  systematic 
arrangement  of  the  portion  has  come  down  to  us  undis- 
turbed, the  interposing  hand  of  the  redactor  may  be 
discerned  —  (1)  in  that  the  title,  nilbn  n^JSl  ver.  1,  is 
repeated  at  ver.  9  ;  it  is  very  probable  that,  in  the  text  of 
Q,  xxxvi.  Q-8a  (as  far  as  T^yu^  inn)  and  xxxvii.  1  originally 
stood  after  xxxv.  29.     The  redactor  so  expanded  the  intro- 

238 


GENESIS  XXXYI.  1-8.  239 

ductiou  which  followed  the  title,  ver,  1,  that  its  repetition 
after  the  expanded  introduction  seemed  to  him  necessary. 
(2)  The  names  of  Esau's  three  wives  differing  from  xxvi.  34, 
xxviii.  9,  are  owing  to  his  interposition.  It  is  a  matter  of 
hesitation  whether  the  names,  as  contained  in  the  historical 
work  of  Q,  have  been  preserved  there  or  here  in  ch.  xxxvi. 
The  hand  of  R  having  elsewhere  interposed  within  vv.  2-8, 
the  names  here  may  also  be  derived  from  another  source. 
Then,  having  once  given  the  preference  above  Q  to  this 
other  source,  the  three  names  would  have  to  be  altered 
accordingly  throughout  vv.  10-18.  On  certain  other  passages, 
whose  origination  from  Q  is  open  to  question,  we  shall  speak 
in  their  respective  places. 

Title,  ver.  1  :  And  these  are  the  generations  of  Esau,  the 
same  is  Edom.  For  nnx  Xin  we  have  ver.  43  D"nx  ""JS ;  in  Q, 
as  far  as  we  know  him,  no  cause  is  stated  why  Edom  became 
a  proper  name  of  Esau.  The  title  is  now,  in  the  first  place, 
followed  by  an  introductory  passage.  1.  xxxvi.  1-8  (parallel 
with  1  Chron.  i.  35).  The  first  beginnings  of  the  eace 
DESCENDED  FRO]\r  EsAU  :  Esau  took  to  him  ivives  of  the  daughters 
of  Canaan  :  'Adah,  daughter  of  Elon  the  Hittite,  and  Oholihamah, 
daughter  of  'Anah,  granddaughter  of  Sih'on  the  Hivite,  and 
Bdsmaih,  IshmaeVs  daughter,  the  sister  of  JSfehajoth.  And  'Adah 
hare  to  Esau  Eliphaz,  and  Bdsmath  hare  Eeuel.  And  Oholi- 
hamah hare  Je'us  and  Jalam  and  Korah — these  are  the  sons  of 
Esau,  ivhich  tvere  horn  to  him  in  the  land  of  Canaan.  Tlien 
Esau  tooh  his  wives  and  his  sons  and  his  daughters  and  all  the 
soids  of  his  house  and  his  cattle  and  all  his  hcasts,  and  all  his 
possessions,  which  he  had  made  his  oiun  in  the  land  of  Canaan, 
and  ivent  into  a  land  .  .  .  away  from  Jacob  his  hrother.  For 
their  suhstance  vxis  too  great  for  them  to  dwell  together,  and  the 
land  of  their  sojournin^s  as  strangers  was  not  able  to  hear  them, 
because  of  their  cattle.  So  Esau  dwelt  in  Mount  Seir ;  Esau 
the  same  is  Edom.  This  Dinx  xin  ic'y  takes  lb  up  again  and 
gives  us  reason  to  expect  that  what  lies  between  the  two  will 


240  GENESIS  XXXVI.  1-8. 

show  signs  of  the  revising  hand.  The  perf.  ^\b  is  related  as  a 
circumstantializing  premiss  to  the  main  fact  'iJl  "i.^l^i,  and  is  in 
itself  (like  VV  iv.  1)  only  Pluperf.  vt^ith  reference  to  this,  but  here 
it  is  at  the  same  time  such  with  reference  to  what  has  already 
been  related.  The  name  of  the  country  after  l"].^"-'^  ver.  6  is 
omitted:  iTi^  (Syr.)  not  onx,  for  "^W  pi<  (ver.  30,  xxxii.  4) 
is  with  respect  to  Diix  pi<  (ver.  16  sq.,  xxi.  31)  the  narrower 
notion :  the  former  in  its  strictest  sense  is  the  hill  country 
in  the  south  of  Judah  westward  of  the  Arabah  (now  inhabited 

by  the  Azazira),  while  the  latter  includes  also  the  chain  (  JIats. 
and  iJl-iJl)  stretching  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Arabah  from 

the  Dead  Sea  to  the  ^lanitic  Gulf  (Kn.  Dillm.).  Tlie  LXX, 
Sam.  correct  the  defective  }*"ix  into  |yj3  )*isjd,  Avhich  tells 
nothing.  There,  according  to  JE,  Esau  already  dwelt  in 
Mount  Seir,  at  Jacob's  return  from  Aramcea,  xxxii.  4,  xxxiii. 
14,  15.  It  is  here  in  Q,  ver.  G  sq.  (comp.  with  the  expression, 
xii.  5,  xxxiv.  23,  xiii.  6),  that  the  separation  after  the  return  is 
first  carried  out.  The  names  of  the  three  wives  differ  in  ver. 
2  sq.,  and  xxvi.  34,  xxviii.  9  :  (1)  '^nn  pbx-nn  nny,  for  which 
at  xxvi.  34  we  have  nrx'n ;  (2)  ^?nn  pyny-n?  nu-nn  n^T^ns'. 
"•^inn  here  is,  as  ver.  24,  together  with  20,  shows,  an  error  of 
transcription  for  ''")n['.  The  name  of  this  second  wife  is  given, 
xxvi.  34,  as  ^rinn  nxn-nn  n^n^n^^.  The  Gentilic  appellation 
Tinn  (instead  of  nnn)  may  be  taken  as  the  most  general 
designation  of  the  heathen  population  dwelling  around  the 
family  of  Isaac ;  for  not  onl}^  at  xxviii.  1,  comp.  xxvii.  46,  but 
here  also,  the  two  wives  are  called  1^33  ni33.  Only  an  ingenuity 
leaning  upon  any  random  support  will  combine  ''1^1  and 
1^3]^  (Hengst.),  though  Oholibamah  is,  notwithstanding  2 oh, 
really  the  daughter  of  'Anah,  the  well  discoverer.  For  the 
appellation  py?V"n3  makes  her  the  grand-daughter  (Luther, 
oicffe  =  neptis)  of  Zibeon,  and  so  the  daughter  of  the  Anah  men- 
tioned, not  at  ver.  24,  but  at  ver.  25.  The  combination  of  two 
na,  one  meaning  daughter,  the  other  grand-daughter,  is  striking ; 


GENESIS  XXXVI.  0-14.  241 

it  is  however  repeated  ver.  14,  and  is  found  yet  a  third  time 
ver.  39,  so  that  it  has  to  be  regarded  as  linguistically  possible  ; 
but  ancient  translators  (here  in  ver.  2,  LXX,  Samar.  Pesh.) 
all  incline  to  the  exchange  of  n3  for  p.  And  how  about  nmn' 
instead  of  n»3''S"ix  ?  The  difference  is  here  so  great,  that 
Ewald  regards  Judith  the  Hethite  and  Oholibamah  the  Horite 
as  two  different  persons ;  but  it  is  too  unanimously  testified 
that  Esau  had  three,  not  four  wives.  Hengstenberg  appeals  to 
the  fact  that  in  the  East  women  often  change  their  names  at 
marriage;  and  Kurtz  also  explains  the  difference  of  the  names  by 
"  the  great  fluctuation  especially  in  female  names  in  the  East." 
Perhaps  it  is  with  reference  to  this  double  name  nD2^i)ns =n''miT, 
that  Ezekiel  ch.  xxiii.  calls  the  kingdom  of  Judah  Oholibah; 
for  it  may  be  supposed  that  the  text  of  the  Pentateuch  in  the 
time  of  Ezekiel  already  contained  these  irreconcilable  state- 
ments concerning  Oholibamah.  (3)  ?Xi;Ct:""n3  nipb'3  is  called 
xxviii.  9  npno.  The  Samar.  leaves  the  names  my  and  nr^a"''^nK 
unaltered,  but  changes  n^i^l  here  throughout  ch.  xxxvi.  into 
nbno.  It  may  be  said  that  Easmath  bore  besides  the  name 
n^no,  or  that  this  (from  vH,  synon.  '''jy  jewels)  was  the  sur- 
name of 'Adah.  Still,  however  we  may  reconcile  and  combine, 
there  still  remains  a  discrepancy,  M'hich  must  be  set  to  the 
account  of  the  non-concurrence  of  historical  tradition  in  this 
respect,  and  we  owe  it  to  the  redactor  that  this  has  been 
preserved  undiluted.  After  a  repetition  of  the  title,  ver.  9, 
in  which,  in  accordance  with  the  tendency  of  these  Toledoth 
towards  national  history,  we  have  DHN  ^3S  in  place  of  the 
Dins  Nin  of  ver.  1,  and  which  is  linked  to  ver.  8,  and  what 
precedes  by  Tyb>  ina,  the  next  passage,  2.  xxxvi.  9-14 
(parallel  with  1  Chrou.  i.  36,  37)  treats  of  the  tiiuee  main 
BRANCHES  OF  THE  Edomites.  The  names  of  the  sons  and 
grandsons  of  Esau  are  here  personal  names,  about  to  become 
the  names  of  tribes,  hence  the  repetitions  from  No.  1.  The 
two  wives,  who  bore  but  one  son  each,  form  as  many  tribes 
as  they  had  grandsons ;  from    Oholibamah,  on  the  contrary, 

VOL.  11.  Q 


242  GENESIS  XXXVI.  15-19. 

proceeded  three  tribes  after  her  three  sons.  In  ver.  12  PPpy  is 
designated  as  the  son  of  Eliphaz  by  Timna',  a  Horite  concubine. 
Is  he  then  to  be  regarded  as  the  ancestor  of  the  Amalekites  ? 
But  these  already,  xiv.  7,  appear  as  lords  of  the  northern 
portion  of  the  Tilt  between  the  Negeb  and  Egypt,  and  at  Num. 
xxiv.  20  they  are  called  as  the  most  primitive,  or  also  (comp. 
Amos  vi.  1)  as  the  chief  nation  D^ia  JT'p'S'i,  as  at  1  Sam.  xxvii.  8, 
with  reference  to  the  land  of  Shur  (i.e.  the  desert  El-Gifdr) 
towards  Egypt  D^Jiyo  "iL-s:  pxn  nni-'^.  The  Arabic  legend  also, 
the  historical  value  of  which  cannot  however  be  estimated 
very  highly,  refers  the  eponymous  ancestor  of  the  ' Am&lilM, 
whom  it  calls  'Imldlc  (Amldlc)  or  'TniUk,  to  another  Semitic 
origin,  and  transposes  their  rule  from  Jemen  to  Syria  to  times 
so  ancient,  that  their  name  may  be  a  general  designation  of 
the  people  of  primitive  antiquity.  Hengstenberg,  on  the  con- 
trary, following  Josephus,  who.  Ant.  ii.  2.  1,  calls  ^A/j,a\r]KiTti; 
a  portion  of  Idumaea,  adheres  to  the  view  that  the  entire 
Amalekite  nation  is  here  referred  to  an  Edomite  origin 
{Authentic  des  Pent.  ii.  302  sqq.).  The  truth  probably  lies 
in  the  middle.  An  Edomite  tribe  proceeding  from  Timna', 
the  concubine  of  Esau,  which  mingled  with  the  Amalekites, 
and  brought  within  the  Edomite  circle  of  peoples,  the  name 
of  that  ancient  people  is  here  called  Amalek.  Eor  "  the  rem- 
nant of  the  Amalekites  that  escaped,"  whom  the  Simeonites 
destroyed  at  some  undefined  time  before  the  Babylonian  exile, 
1  Chron.  iv.  42  sq.,  dwelt  in  Mount  Seir  (see  Noldeke,  Uclcr 
die  Amalekiter,  1864,  comp.  D3IZ.  xxiii.  297).  The  Chronicler, 
1  Chron.  i.  36,  seems  to  reckon  y^pn  and  p'2^V  among  the  sons 
of  Eliphaz,  but  p^DDj/'l  J?;nni  36&  only  range  there  as  figures  of 
what  is  related  Gen.  xxxvi.  12.  3.  xxxvi.  15-19.  The  D^ai^x 
DESCENDED  FROM  Edom.  This  is  the  special  appellation  of  the 
Edomite  (and  Horite)  phylarchs  or  chieftains,  which  is  trans- 
ferred to  the  Jewish  only  by  Zechariah  (ix.  7,  xii.  5  sq.)  :  it  is 
a  denomin.  from  ^p^  Micah  v.  1,  thousandhood  (comp.  ^Ar. 
tribe,  family),  or  more   generally  (from  ^b^  to  join  oneself) 


GENESIS  XXXVI.  15-10.  243 

society.  The  form  (comp.  1^3 n,  Cinn)  does  not  agree  with 
taking  the  word  as  meaning  tribe  (Kn.)  or  canton  (DJfZ. 
xii.  315-317),  as  it  has  everywhere  a  personal  meaning 
(e.g.  Ex.  XV.  15).  Of  Esau's  five  sons,  those  of  Adah 
(Eliphaz)  and  Basmath  (EeuL-l)  are  fathers  of  seven  and  four 
D'^Di^S,  the  three  sons  of  Oholibamah  being  directly  such,  thus 
making  fourteen  chiefs  of  tribes,  nnp  fjipx  ver.  16  however 
has  come  in  from  ver.  IvS,  and  should,  as  by  the  Samar.,  1)0 
expunged :  there  then  remain  thirteen,  not  twelve.  Their 
number  becomes  twelve  if,  with  Dillm.,  we  expunge  P.?py.  ^^i^, 
with  which  12a  also  falls  away  as  an  insertion.  Amalek  is 
indeed  descended  from  neither  of  the  tlirce  legitimate  wives ; 
hence,  when  this  is  considered,  the  Wii'hii  descending  from 
these  are  actually  twelve.  I^''?  (Obad.  ver.  9,  Amos  i.  12,  Jer. 
xlix.  7,  20,  Hab.  iii.  3)  became  the  name  of  a  district  and  town 
(ver.  42)  in  north-eastern  Idumtea ;  Jerome  places  a  town 
Gacfidv,  qwinque  millihus,  from  Petra  (Ritter,  xiv.   128  sq.). 

isy  ('pi*  in  Chron.)  recalls  .LviLJl  the  name  of  a  village  and 
of  a  rivulet  flowing  into  the  Dead  Sea,  southwards  from  which 
Gebalene  (JUr>-),  ie.  northern  Idumtca,  is  entered  (Patter, 
xiv.  1031).  This  rivulet  is  also  called  el-Ku7'dhi,  yvith.  which 
Kn.  compares   nip ;     but    the  important  town   _  J,  in    the 

Wadi  el-Kora,  is  more  likely  (Wetzstein,  Nordarahim  nnd  der 
syr.  Wilstc,  p.  123).  More  uncertain  is  the  comparison  of 
V^pJji  as  a  local  name,  ver.  40,  with  Thamana  of  the  Notitia 
dignitatum.  This  is  certainly  the  same  as  Theman  or  Thamara 
(see  on  xiv.  7).  There  is  nothing  to  be  said  of  "lOix  (w. 
11,  15),  DW3  (vv.  11, 16),  nm  (vv.  13, 17),  nnr  {id\  hd-j^  [id) 
and  "ij?  {id?).  f?p  too  (vv.  1 1, 1 5,  42)  is  unknown  as  an  Edomite 
tribe.  Othniel  is  called  M\r\1,  and  Caleb,  who  gave  to  him, 
his  younger  brother,  his  daughter  to  wife,  bears  the  surname 
■•^^i^n,  and  a  race  dwelling  in  the  south  of  Canaan  are  called 
Kenizzites,   xv.    19,  their  geographical  proximity  favouring  a 


244  GENESIS  XXXVI.  20-28. 

historical  connection  with  the  Edomite  r:ip.  The  middle  term 
njpn  x\',  19  is  however  to  us  indefinable.  The  last  words, 
dinx  xin  195,  have  wandered  from  their  right  place  after  Vii'y 
(comp.  Sh  and  the  displacements  xiv.  12,  ii.  19).  4.  xxxvi, 
20-28  (parallel,  1  Chron.  i.  38-42).  Suevey  of  the  descend- 
ants OF  Seir  the  Hoeite,  the  ancestor  of  the  D''in,  TpcoyXo^vrai, 
the  aborigines  of  the  mountainous  country  abounding  in  caves, 
who  were  extirpated  by  the  Edomites,  see  Deut.  ii.  12,  22, 
(comp.  the  descriptions  Job  chs.  xxiv.,  xxx.,  which  perhaps 
relate  to  a  gipsy-like  decayed  remnant  of  the  Horites),  and 
on  the  other  hand  Gen.  xiv.  6,  where  they  appear  as  still  an 
independent  people  in  possession  of  their  Mount  Seir.  Seven 
sons  of  Seir  are  named,  and  the  sons  of  these,  together  with 
two  daughters,  who  are  expressly  mentioned :  Timna',  the 
"  sister  of  Lotan,"  and  so  the  daughter  of  Seir,  who,  according 
to  12«,  was,  as  the  concubine  of  Eliphaz  the  son  of  Esau,  the 
mother  of  Amalek  ;  and  Oholibamah,  "  daughter  of  'Anah," 
who,  according  to  ver.  20,  was  the  sister  of  Zibeon,  and  not, 
as  ver.  2  requires  (where  the  second  ni  must  mean  grand- 
daughter), his  daughter,  for  Oholibamah  is  surely  the  there 
named  wife  of  Esau.  We  have  here  a  rude  discrepancy.  At 
2  5 &,  Oholibamah  is  brought  before  us  as  the  daughter  of 'Anah 
the  son  of  Seir,  while  according  to  ver.  2  she  is  the  daughter 
of  'Anah  sou  of  Zibeon,  and  thus  of  another  and  subsequent 
'Anah.  But  to  expunge  25&,  as  an  erroneous  gloss,  on  this 
account  (Kn.)  is  surely  unnecessary;  the  statement  should  stand 
at  the  end  of  ver.  24,  and  has  thence  erroneously  come  into 
ver.  2  5.  It  is  an  easier  accommodation  which  makes  njy  and  pt^'1 
the  names  of  both  sons  and  grandsons  of  Seir  (Dison  the  son  of 
'Anah,  'Anah  the  son  of  Zibeon) ;  the  recurrence  of  the  names 
is  not  strange ;  Tuch  conjectures  that  the  two  grandsons  of  Seir 
are  also  cited  in  ver.  20  sq.  as  his  sons,  because  they  formed 
independent  tribes  with  chiefs  of  their  own.  24&  says  of 
'Anah  the  grandson  of  Seir,  that  this  is  the  'Anah  who,  when 
he  was  feeding  the  asses  of  Zibeon  his  father,  found  the  D"*?*! 


GENESIS  XXXVI.  20—28.  245 

in  the  wilderness.  Luther  translates :  ivho  found  mules  in 
tJie  toilderncss,  this  being  the  ancient  Jewish  meaning,  accord- 
ing to  the  consonance  of  tjfiiovoi  and  ■)]fiiav,  whence  it  would 
designate  hybrids  from  a  stallion  and  a  female  ass,  or  from  a 
male  ass  and  a  mare — midorcni  nova  contra  naturam  animalia, 
which  Jerome  refers  to  as  an  old  Jewish  view :  "  the  race  of 
Esau,"  says  a  Midrash,  "  was  not  only  itself  given  to  illegal 
connections,  but  also  seduced  the  animals  to  them."  But  it 
speaks  against  this  interpretation — (1)  that  t<J>p  used  thus  by 
itself  can  only  be  meant  of  a  local  finding ;  (2)  that  'Anah 
was  feeding  asses  and  not  horses  also ;  (3)  that  mongrels  of 
both  are  elsewhere  called  ^"'P^  (Aram.  N'3"!^3).  Still  less 
tenable  is  the  identification  of  D"'D''  with  the  race  of  the 
D"'O^X,  as  Samar.  and  Onkelos  translate  and  Ephrem  explains 
it  (Lagarde,  Orientalia,  ii.  p.  58).  C"©";  are  probably  liot 
springs  (akin  perhaps  to  DV,  Assyr.  H-mu,  ini-mu,  day,  named 

according  to  nvn  on),  whence  the  Syrian  translates  \  ^  Vr> 
(Diodor.  of  Tarsus :  ir'q'yrjv),  perhaps  the  sulphur  springs  of 
Kalirrhoe  (the  ancient  Lesa*,  x.  19)  below  the  Zerka  Macin, 
about  two  leagues  on  the  eastern  side  of  •  the  Dead  Sea. 
Here  a  warm  spring  flows  in  the  ground,  and  receiving  from 
several  parts  an  increase  of  seething  water,  deposits  abundance 
of  sulphur.  In  favour  of  this  meaning  of  U'ty'  (LXX.  lafieiv) 
is  Jerome's  information,  that  this  is  also  in  the  Punic  the 
word  for  aqua^  caldce  (if  he  does  not  confuse  D''0^  with  D^^n, 

Arab.  i::jUU^),  as  are  also  the  wording  and  situation  of  wliat 
is  related.  The  addition  that  'Anah  was  just  then  keeping  his 
father's  asses,  may  point  out  that  the  animals  themselves 
contributed  to  the  discovery,  as  the  whirlpool  at  Carlsbad  is 
said  to  have  been  discovered  by  a  hunting  dog  of  Charles  the 
Fourth,  who,  while  chasing  a  stag,  got  into  a  hot  spring,  and 
attracted  the  huntsmen  by  his  howling.  In  ver.  24a  we 
must,  with  LXX,  Sam.  Syr.  and  1  Chron.  i.  40,  read  H's? 
instead  of  n'S^  (unless  perhaps  a  preceding  name  has  fallen 


246  GENESIS  XXXVI.  2a. 

out),  and  ]f'''^,  26a  must  be  corrected,  as  in  Chron.,  to  f^"'^,  (LXX, 
Pesh.  Jer.).  The  ancient  Semitic  worship  of  animals  inferred 
by  Kobertson  Smith,  in  his  article,  "  Animal  Worship  and 
Animal  Tribes  "  {Joitrnal  of  Pliilology,  ix.  75  sqq.),  from  certain 
names  of  animals  in  this  register  of  the  descendants  of  Seir, 
is  rightly  rejected  by  Dillm.  and  Xoldeke  as  not  demonstrable. 
The  name  ^^^^  has  been  transmitted  in  SjjTia  Sobal  (Judith 
iii.  1,  according  to  the  Vulgate  and  Luther),  corresponding 
with  the  name  of  the  third  province  kept  by  the  crusaders 
below  Arabia  sccunda,  viz,  'GcMl  below  Kerck.  The  fortress 
3Io7is  rcgalis,  founded  by  Baldwin,  and  surrounded  by  a  forest 
of  olive  trees,  is  also  called  Sobal,  or  more  correctly  (see  on 
XXV.  2)  Sobak  (thicket,  as  a  bishopric  :  Saltus  hieraticus).    The 

Arab  tribes  ^^l^^^>  ^S\.^»~  {i^-^^^*^))  ic^^^  ^^^^l  U^-.'^  (com- 
pared by  Kn.)  are  similar  in  sound  to  1)^^,  I'^pn  |3'^'K,  |b'^"n  (1^''"^) 
(the  dwelling-places  of  these  tribes  are  not  against  this  com- 
parison), and  Menochia  of  the  Not.  dign.  and  the  district 
of  Movvv)(^idTi<i  westward  of  Petra  in  Ptol.  with  nnJD.  }pir 
recalls  the  \\>V^_  \^3,  after  whom  a  wilderness  station  is  named, 
Num.  xxxiii.  31,  Deut.  x.  6  ;  p^?  the  Areni  in  Plin.  vi.  32. 
But  that  {'U',  named  with  1"^^?  28&  as  a  son  of  Dishan,  should 
have  given  his  name  to  the  {T^V'})  Y^V  Tl^,  has  against  it  x.  2  3, 
xxii.  2 1 ;  this  J'^ij?  being  certainly  an  individual  of  no  further 
significance  of  the  Horite  race  ^  conquered  by  the  Edomites. 
The  other  names  also  defy  national  and  provincial  explana- 
tion.     5.    xxxvi.    29    sqq.    The    seven    Horite    princely 

RACES    FORMED    FROM   THE   SEVEN   SONS    OF    SeIR.       These  are 

runs  this  concluding  sentence  in  the  style  of  Q  (while  the 
anticipation  21h  seems  inserted  from  a  more  recent  hand) — 
the  chiefs  of  the  Ilorites  Dn''£i?sp  as  their  (the  Horites')  chiefs  in 
the  land  of  Seir  are  each  called  (the  7  is  that  of  the  relation  of 
the  individual  to  the  whole  and  of  the  whole  to  the  individual, 
frequent  in  enumerations).     Perhaps  the  vocalization  0.'?'*Sp^? 

1  An  is,  as  in  Horite  proper  names,  a  favourite  ending  in  the  inscriptions 
brought  from  Tema  by  Euting.     See  the  Oxford  Studia  BiblicO,  (1885),  p.  214. 


GENESIS  XXXVI.  31-3?.  247 

(Dillm.)  would  better  correspond  with  the  intention  of  the 
author.  6.  xxxvi.  31-39  (parallel  with  1  Chron.  i.  43-50, 
conip.  the  apocryphal  close  of  the  book  of  Job  in  LXX).     The 

EIGHT  KINGS  OF  EdOM   DOWN   TO   THE  TIME    OF  THE    NARRATOH. 

The  title,  ver.  31 :  And  these  are  the  Icings  that  reigned  in  tlic  land 
of  Edom  he  fore  there  reigned  a  king  over  the  children  of  Israel. 
It  does  not  necessarily  follow  from  this,  that  the  writer  lived 
till  the  time  of  the  Israelite  kingdom/  though  it  looks  like  it ; 
and  it  cannot  be  denied  that  the  author  of  the  historical 
work  beginning  with  X"i3  ri'D'Sin  represents,  as  compared 
with  J",  E  and  D,  a  more  recent  stage  in  the  development  of 
IMosaism,  and  thus  has  the  commencement  of  Israelite  kins- 
ship  far  behind  him.  It  is  however  still  a  question,  whether 
in  this  list  of  kings  he  transposes  himself  to  the  standpoint  of 
the  time  of  Moses,  or  whether  he  brings  it  down  to  the 
beginning  of  the  Israelite  kingdom  {i.e.  to  Saul-David) ;  for 
that  he  brings  it  down  to  his  own  actual  present  is  excluded 
both  by  the  brevity  of  the  list,  which  contains  only  eight 
kings,  and  by  the  fact  that  the  independence  of  Edom  and  the 
continuance  of  its  native  sovereignty  ceased  with  Saul  and 
David.  The  author  of  these  Toledoth  is  the  same,  who  delights 
to  record  the  promises  of  kings  arising  from  the  patriarchal 
race  (xxxv.  11,  xvii.  6,  IG);  he  expressly  notices  that 
Edom  became  a  monarchy  earlier  than  Israel,  that  the  shoot 
which  was  cut  off  sooner  attained  such  maturity,  inde- 
pendence and  consistency,  than  the  seed  of  the  promise. 
In  these  Toledoth  he  has  hitherto  been  going  backwards, 
to  describe  the  Idumoean  hill  country  according  to  its  former 
inhabitants ;  he  now  goes  forward  and  brings  the  history  of 
Edom  to  a  certain  point  None  of  the  eight  kings  is 
the  son  of  his  predecessor,  their  places  of  origin  are  also 
different.     Hence  Edom  was  an  elective  monarchy ;  the  chiefs 

1  In  this  matter  I  agree  with  E.  C.  Bissell  in  his  important  work,  The 
Pentateuch,  its  Origin  and  Structure  (New  York  1885),  p.  141,  especially  as  I, 
like  himself,  regard  the  law  of  the  king  iu  Deut.  xviL  as  ancient  Mosaic. 


248  GENESIS  XXXVI.  31-39. 

of  the  trihes  were,  according  to  Isa.  xxxiv,  12,  the  electors, 
and  the  dignity  of  the  csi^n  was  hereditary  in  noble 
families.  The  name  of  the  first  king  liV?"!?  ^7'^  sounds 
provokingly  like  the  name  of  the  seer  "^ii??"!!  ^W ?  5  ^^^ 
native  city  was  i^^na^  (LXX  Aevva/3a),  a  local  name  which 
cannot  be  pointed  ont  as  Edomite,  but  which  is  testified  to 
as  occurring  in  the  neighbouring  lands.  Kuenen  notes 
besides  Aava^d  in  Palmyrian  Syria  (in  Ptol.  and  in  Assera. 
Bibl.  Or.  iii.  2),  Aavd^-q  in  Babylonia  (in  Zosimus,  Hist. 
iii.  27),  Dannaia  and  Dannaha  in  Moab  (by  Jerome 
on  this  passage  testified  in  Lagarde's  Onom.  114  sq.). 
The  second  king  is  ^1)'^.  ^^i""  of  niya ;  according  to  the  LXX 
(at  the  close  of  the  translation  of  the  book  of  Job,  comp.  Jul. 
Africanus  in  Eouth,  Rdiquiw,  ii.  154  sq.).  Job  is  said  to 
be  one  and  the  same  with  this  Jobab  ben  Zerah  (ben  Ee 'liel), 
—  an  untenable  conjecture,  although  there  may  be  some 
relationship  between  the  names  33i\  ^i""  xlvi.  13,  Jula,  ^I6^a<; 
(the  name  of  a  Mauritanian  king)  and  Si"':'.  The  native  place 
of  King  Jobab,  •rjV?,  has  been  rediscovered  as  a  village  with 
ruins  under  the  diminutive  name  cl-Busaire  in  'Gebal  (different 
from  the  similarly  named  ancient  town  in  Auranitis,  cele- 
brated in  ecclesiastical  history,  viz.  Hauran,  the  birthplace  of 
the  Emperor  Philip  the  Arabian).  The  third  king  is  C^'H  of 
the  "'?9''5l'  p.?,  the  province  of  Teman  in  the  northern  part  of 
Edom.  The  fourth  king  is  "i*]?"!?  TlH,  who  is  more  particularly 
designated  as  he  who  smote  Midian  in  the  field  of  Modb, 
whence  Hengst.  rightly  infers  that  the  time  of  his  sovereignty 
is  not  to  be  placed  far  after  the  Mosaic  period ;  for  after 
Gideon,  the  Midianites  almost  disappear  from  history  (comp. 
Kautzsch,  art.  "  Midian  "  in  Eiehm's  HIV.),  and  it  is  improbable 
that  the  field  of  Moab  should  have  been  a  place  of  battle 
between  the  Midianites  and   Moabites   in  later  post-Mosaic 

history.      Kn.  combines  the  ridge  of  hills  Ajjya   on  the  east 
side  of  Moab  (Burckhardt,  Syr.  638)  with  ri'iy  the  birthplace 


GENESIS  XXXVI.  31 -G9.  249 

of  Iladad.  The  fifth  king  is  '^^^"\  of  the  otherwise  unknown 
nj^nbo^  which  apparently  signifies  place  of  Sorek  vines.  The 
sixth  king,  b^iX'f ,  would  be  a  foreigner  if  iri^r],  in  the  name  of 
his  native  town  insn  nuh"),  liad  to  be  understood  of  the 
p]uphrates ;  but  a  smaller  river  (2  Kings  v.  12),  a  canal 
(Ezek.  i.  3),  and  even  non-perennial  Wadi  (see  on  xv.  18) 
may  also  be  called  a  "irii,  and  an  Idumoean  Rdbotlm  is  men- 
tioned by  Eusebius,  Jerome,  and  the  Nutitia  dign.  as  still 
existing  in  their  time.  The  seventh  king  is  Ijn  pyn  (which 
is  equivalent  to  the  Punic  H'?''?r',  Ilannibal),  his  father  was 
called  i'33y  (again  a  name  of  an  animal) ;  there  is  no  state- 
ment of  his  birthplace.  Of  the  eighth  king,  on  the  contrary, 
the  city,  wife,  wife's  mother,  and  grandmother  are  given, 
without  nojl  being  added,  as  though  he  were  still  living  when 
this  list  was  written.  His  name  is  "^y}..  In  the  text  of 
Chronicles  it  is  like  that  of  the  fourth  king,  "^y},  just  as  the 
LXX  1  Kings  xi.  14  writes  "Ahep  for  Tin  of  the  Hebrew 
text.  *nn  Ahah,  not  "inn  AZep  (Justin :  Adores),  is  an 
Aramaic,  and  therefore  not  an  Iduma^an  name  of  God  (see 
Zeitsclirift  fur  KeilschriftforschiLiig,  ii.  165  sq.,  365).  A 
proper  name  "nn  (ornament)  perhaps  existed  beside  it,  or 
owes  its  existence  simply  to  the  misunderstood  mn.  The 
native  city  of  the  last-named  king  was  'Va,  for  which  the 
LXX  gives  ^oyccp,  therefore  lU'S,  which  accords  in  sound 
with  the  Edomite  ruins  FmLcira  (Ritter,  xiv.  995).  This 
eighth  king  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  Hadad  of  the  time 
of  Solomon ;  for  though  the  latter  was  an  Edomite  of  royal 
blood,  he  married  a  daughter  of  Pharaoh,  and  was  never 
king  of  Edom  (1  Kings  xi.  14—22).  It  might  rather  be 
supposed  that  the  last-named  was  that  king  of  Edom,  of 
whom  Moses  in  vain  requested  permission  to  pass  through 
his  land,  Xum.  xx.  14.  And  there  is  nothing  against  the 
view  that  Q  is  liere  communicating  a  document,  whose  original 
author  was  a  contemporary  of  Moses  and  survived  to  the 
entry  into  the  promised  land.     Now  follows — 7.  xxxvi.  40  sqq. 


250  GENESIS  XXXVI.  40. 

(parallel  witli  1  Chron.  i.  51  sqq.)  A  list  of  the  Edomite 
CDiPSj  according  to  their  families,  according  to  their  places,  with 
their  names.  To  what  purpose  is  this  second  list  ?  "We  had 
above,  vv.  15-19,  the  names  of  fourteen  (thirteen)  Edomite 
D''3"i^S,  here  the  names  of  eleven,  among  which  only  two  (tjp 
and  pTi)  agree  with  the  former.  The  Chronicler  introduces 
the  list  with  the  words :  Tlien  Hadad  died  and,  etc.,  which 
sounds  as  if  after  Hadad's  (Hadar's)  death  the  kingship 
became  extinct,  and  the  old  tribal  constitution,  with  its 
hereditary  aristocracy,  went  on  (Bertheau).  In  any  case 
this  list  gives,  without  respect  to  the  kingdom,  a  survey  of 
the  districts  into  which  the  land  was  divided  in  the  time  of 
its  author ;  the  former  list  was  historico-genealogical,  this  is 
geographico-statistical  (Dillm.).  The  title,  in  which  the  chief 
tone  falls  upon  Dnbppp,  is  in  the  style  of  Q,  who  however 
took  this  list  of  districts,  as  well  as  the  list  of  kings,  from  an 
ancient  source.  The  chiefs  of  T:p  and  I^'^ti'  occurred  also  in  the 
other  list.  The  concubine  of  Eliphaz  is  called  y?piji,  and 
nDn"':?nx  the  daughter  of  'Anah  is  the  Horite  wife  of  Esau,  vv. 

T    T      •    r:  IT  o  _  » 

2,  14,  3  8,  25  ;  njpy  (for  which  in  Cbron.  n^^b)  is  one  and  the 
same  name  as  )W,  one  of  the  grandsons  of  Seir,  23a.  The 
remaining  six  names  are  new.  Nothing  worth  saying  can  be 
told  concerning  T\r}\,  ^^'''^J'?  and  ^yV,  for  which  the  LXX 
has  Za^cotv.  In  P''3  (jb^s),  on  the  contrary,  we  at  once 
recognise  that  encampment  of  Israel  where  Moses  set  iip 
the  brazen  serpent,  Num.  xxi.  9  sq.,  comp.  xxxiii.  42  sq., 
celebrated,  under  various  Greek  and  Latin  forms  of  the 
name,  for  its  mines,  to  which,  during  the  Diocletian  persecu- 
tion, a  multitude  of  Christians,  to  whom  the  dedication 
of  the  Apology  of  Origen  is  addressed  by  Pamphilus,  were 
sent  for  penal  servitude  {ad  mris  metalla  qncp  sunt  apud 
Phoenum  Falcestince  damnati).  After  the  fifth  century  it 
became  the  seat  of  a  bishopric,  not  quite  two  leagues 
distant  from  Dedan.  According  to  Jerome,  npx  is  certainly 
no   other    than   Elath,   or,   as    it  is  called,   xiv.    6,  P^i^Q  b"^. 


GENESIS  XXXYII.  1.  251 

"lyap  is  not  Petra  (Kn.),  -wliich  is  called  i'pp,  2  Kings 
xix.  7 :  the  LXX  has  for  it  Ma^ap,  ou  wh.icli  Eusebius 
(Lagarde,  Onom.  277)  makes  the  credible  remark,  ert  Kal 
vvv  KcofiT}  fi€jiaTri  Ma/3aapd  eVt  t?}?  r€^a\r)vP]<i,  viraKOvovaa 
TT)  Uerpa.  The  list  of  chiefs  and  districts  closes  with  the 
subscription  :  These  are  the  chiefs  of  Edom,  according  to  their 
dwellings  in  the  land  of  their  possession,  while  the  concluding 
endorsement,  this  is  Esau,  tlie  father  of  Edom,  looks  back  at 
the  whole  many-membered  Toledoth — this  great  nation  that 
dwelt  in  the  land  of  the  Horites,  with  its  chiefs  and  kings, 
proceeded  from  him. 

The  register  of  the  race  of  Esau-Edom  is  now  followed  by 
a  verse,  which  joins  No.  9  of  the  Toledoth  with  No.  10, 
xxxvii.  1  :  And  Jacob  dwelt  in  the  land  of  the  pilgrimage  of 
his  father,  in  the  land  of  Canaan.  Esau,  as  formerly  Lot, 
vacated  it,  and  thus  was  fulfilled  the  purpose  and  promise  of 
God  (xvii.  8).  If  this  verse  had  originally  stood  after  xxxvi. 
8,  it  would  have  begun  3*^^  '^?T\  As  it  at  present  stands,  it 
points  back  to  it,  for  the  purpose  of  forming  the  transition 
from  the  one  Toledoth  to  the  other. 


THE  TOLEDOTH  OF  JACOB,  XXXVII.-L. 

That  the  title :  Tluse  are  the  generations  of  Jacob,  should  be 
followed  by :  Joseph  icas  seventeen  years  old,  and  was  feeding 
the  flock  ivith  Ids  hrethren,  seemed  so  strange  to  ancient 
expositors,  that  they  felt  obliged  to  regard  this  superscrip- 
tion as  the  subscription  of  xxxv.  23-26,  and  as  referring 
thereto  past  the  parenthetical  portion  ch.  xxxvi.  A  Lapide 
however  closely  approximates  to  the  right  state  of  the  case, 
when  he  says :  Quasi  dicat :  deijiceps  enarraho  posteros  Jacohi 
eo7'umque  casus,  eventa  ct  gesta,  maxime  Joscjyhi.  The  nilbn 
npj;''  are,  according  to  their  proper  notion,  the  history  of  Jacob 
in  his  sons,  not  merely  in  Joseph,  though  chiefly  in  him. 
It  is  utterly  contrary  to  the  meaning  of  the  title  to  regard 
chs.  xxxvii.-l.  as  the  history  of  Joseph,  for  then  ch.  xxxviii. 
would  be  a  disturbing  episode,  wliich  it  by  no  means  is. 
The  matter  is,  on  the  contrary,  divided  as  in  the  \>r\"^''  m^in 
(xxv.  19).  There  Jacob,  here  Joseph,  is  the  active  principle 
of  the  history  that  follows.  The  twelve  sons  of  Jacob  are 
the  seed-corn  of  Israel.  Egypt  is  the  foreign  land,  where  a 
nation  is  to  develop  and  come  to  maturity  from  the  twelve. 
To  precede  liis  family  thither,  and  there  to  prepare  a  shelter 
for  Israel  during  its  development,  was  Joseph's  high  vocation. 
Sold  into  Egypt,  he  makes  a  path  to  Egypt  for  the  house  of 
Jacob;  and  the  same  land,  in  wliich  he  grew  to  man's  estate, 
was  imprisoned  and  attained  high  rank,  became  for  his 
family  the  land  of  their  ripening  into  a  nation,  and  of  their 
deliverance.     The  history  of  Joseph  is  so  far  the  opening  of 

262 


GENESIS  XXXVII.- L.  253 

the  history  of  Israel,  and  a  type  of  the  path  of  the  Church 
and  the  Church's  Head  from  humiliation  to  exaltation,  from 
bondage  to  freedom,  from  suffering  to  glor}'.  The  treatment 
lie  received  from  his  brethren,  turned  by  the  message  of  God 
to  their  safety  and  that  of  the  nation  descending  from  them, 
is  a  type  of  the  treatment  Christ  received  from  His  people, 
which  the  counsel  of  God  turned  to  the  world's  salvation,  and 
will  at  last  turn  to  the  salvation  of  Israel. 

The  Toledoth  of  Jacob,  which  include  the  history  of 
Joseph,  are  divided  into  four  sections.  The  first  section 
reaches  from  the  selling  of  Joseph  into  Egypt  to  his  eleva- 
tion, chs.  xxxvii.— \li. ;  tlie  second,  from  the  first  appearance  of 
his  bretl\ren  before  him  to  his  declaration  of  himself,  chs. 
xlii.-xlv. ;  the  third,  from  the  migration  of  the  house  of  Israel 
to  Egypt  to  their  prosperous  settlement  and  increase  in  Goshen, 
chs.  xlvi.-xlvii.  27;  the  fourth,  from  Jacob's  entreaty  to  Joseph 
to  bury  him  in  Canaan  to  the  burial  of  Jacob  and  death  of 
Joseph,  chs.  xlvii.  28-1.  The  beginnings  of  these  sections 
(xxxvii.  1,  xlii.  1,  xlvi.  1,  xlvii.  28)  show  that  Jacob  still  rules 
the  history,  though,  with  the  exception  of  ch.  xxxviii.,  there  is 
none  in  which  Joseph's  name  is  not  the  more  prominent. 

"  The  sources  from  which  R  (the  redactor)  composed  this 
last  division  of  Genesis  are,  for  the  first  two  sections,  almost 
exclusively  B  (M^)  and  C  {J).  The  plan  and  the  greater 
part  of  the  execution  of  this  noble,  almost  dramatically 
arranged  history  of  Joseph  is  from  B.  But  B  has  also 
delighted  in  adopting  and  artistically  working  into  it  matter 
from  C,  whose  narrative  was  on  the  whole  similar  though  in 
particulars  different,  and  in  parts  more  excitingly  told  and 
with  more  didactic  insight.  Not  till  xlvi.-l.  is  A  {Q  ov  El  ^) 
again  made  much  use  of,  and  there  the  three  sources  flow  on  to- 
gether." We  cannot  deny  our  concurrence  witli  the  net  results 
of  the  analysis  thus  formulated  by  Dillmann,  although  we  must 
acknowledge  our  own  inability  to  follow  in  detail  his  acute 
and  almost  clairvoyant  disentanglement  of  the  various  threads. 


254  GENESIS  XXXVIL  2. 

There  is  more  for  us  than  for  him  which  is  beyond  the  limits 
of  the  kuowable,  as  will  be  at  once  shown  in  the  restraint 
we  have  felt  obliged  to  impose  upon  ourselves  in  our  analysis 
of  ch.  xxxvii.  It  is  however  undeniable  that  the  redactor, 
without  glossing  over  their  differences,  has  here  combined 
different  accounts  into  one.  In  the  one  account  Joseph  is, 
according  to  the  proposal  of  Eeuben,  cast  into  a  pit,  from 
which  he  intends  to  deliver  him,  but  a  passing  caravan  draws 
him  out  of  it  and  takes  him  to  Egypt.  In  the  other  account 
it  is  Judah  who  counsels  against  the  slaying  of  a  brother 
and  causes  him  to  be  sold  to  a  passing  caravan.  In  the  one 
account  these  merchants  are  called  ^''^yp  or  Q\^J1P  28a,  36, 
and  in  the  other  ^'^i^VO'f.  25,  27,  28&.  But  whether  they 
are  two  different  accounts,  according  to  one  of  which  Joseph 
was  hated  by  his  brethren  for  his  tale-bearing,  and  according 
to  the  other  for  his  dreams,  is  to  us  questionable.  We  shall 
not  however  conceal  in  this  matter  what  speaks  in  favour  of 
a  working  up  together  of  different  accounts,  which  do  not  by 
their  matter  exclude  each  other. 


JOSEPH  SOLD  INTO  EGYPT,  CH.  XXXVII. 

The  first  verse  wants  nothing  of  internal  unity,  xxxvii  2  : 
{These  are  the  generations  of  Jacob :)  Joseph,  heiyig  seventeen 
years  old,  was  feeding  the  flock  with  his  brethren ;  and  he  was  a 
young  servant  with  the  sons  of  Bilhah  and  with  the  sons  of 
Ziljpah,  and  he  brought  evil  report  of  them  to  their  father.  The 
syntactic  state  of  the  three  sentences  is  essentially  the  same 
as  i.  2,  3  ;  the  perf.  sentence  with  the  noun  sentence  ruled  by 
it  precedes  and  circumstantializes  the  main  fact  ^?'!!,  at  which 
the  period  aims.  There  is  also  a  close  connection  in  matter. 
It  is  first  said  generally  that  Joseph,  being  seventeen  years 
old,  was  feeding  the  flock  with  his  brothers  (for  |xsa  is  obj., 
nyi  being,  after  the  manner  of  verbs  of  ruling,  construed  as  at 
1   Sam.   xvi.    11,  xvii.    34);  the  brothers   here  are  without 


GENESIS  XXXVII,  3.  255 

distinction  tlie  sons  of  his  father's  two  wives  and  two 
concubines.  Then  this  statement  is  particularized  by  say- 
ing, that  he  was  given  to  the  sons  of  Bilhah  (Dan  and 
Naphtali)  and  to  the  sons  of  Zilpah  (Gad  and  Asher)  as  a  ii'3 
(nx  as  a  preposition  being  here  repeated).  Nothing  can  be 
done  with  the  meaning  youth ;  any  one's  nyj  is,  according  to 
the  custom  of  the  language,  his  young  servant,  Judg.  vii.  10, 
ix.  54,  xix.  13.^  nn^  is  not  so  indifferent  a  word  as  report, 
but  means  (from  221  to  sneak,  Assyr.  and  xVram.  to  lay  in 
wait,  to  harass)  slander,  scandal.  ^V^^  ^^r^.,  which  might 
mean  the  slanderous  conduct  of  the  brothers,  is  purposely  not 
said  ;  the  more  appositional  co-ordination  of  the  indefinite  nyt 
(as  at  xliii.  14,  Ezek  xxxiv.  12,  Ps.  cxliii.  10,  Ges.  §  111.  2h, 
comp.  my  commentary  on  the  Psalms  on  2  Sam.  xxii.  33) 
suggests  rather  taking  the  brothers  as  object.  That  Jacob 
should  let  his  comparatively  more  remote  sons  be  thus 
secretly  overlooked  by  Joseph,  was  the  consequence  of  his 
affection  for  him,  ver.  3  :  And  Israel  loved  Joseph  cibove  all 
Ms  sons,  for  he  teas  Ijorn  to  him  in  old  age,  and  he  made  him  a 
garment  reaching  far  doivn.  The  narrator,  who  after  xxxv.  10 
intelligently  interchanges  the  names  ^sib'""  and  npi'S  is  J. 
Benjamin  as  still  very  young  is  left  out  of  consideration  ;  but 
Joseph  had  been  born  seventeen  years  before,  after  the  two 
Aramaean  septennaries,  when  Jacob,  who  was  of  full  age  when 
he  migrated  to  Aramaea,  had  already  entered  the  age  of  the 
D'';i?T.  On  T\yr\2  see  on  iii.  21.  A  Ci'DQ  nam  is  one  reaching  to 
the  end  of  the  arms  and  down  to  the  feet,  the  ends  of  the  legs : 
for  1)  DQ  Dan.  v.  5,  24  is  the  more  exact  designation  of  the 
hand  as  distinguished  from  the  arm,  and  ^".^P^  Ezek.  xlvii.  3 
(from  D2X  =  DSX  =  DQ)  mean  the  extremities,  viz.  the  lower 
{pyyi  '•DDN),  hence  (with  respect  to  the  skeleton)  the  ankles, 
which  agrees  with  D^EQ  T\yr\3  ;  it  is  called  a  ')(tTcov  KapircoTo'^ 

'  Unless  'lil  nsSr  ""iaTlX  followed,  "lyj  NIHI  might  be  taken,  as  b}-  Rosin 
(Juhehchrift  on  Ziuiz's  90th  birthday,  1SS4),  as  a  preliminary  adverbial 
sentence  (comp.  xviii.  8,  xxiii.  10) :  when  he  was  still  young  he  br(iUf,'ht  .  .  . 
thus  giving  a  retrosiiective  motive  for  the  sale  in  his  seventeenth  year. 


256  GENESIS  XXXVII.  4-7 

(LXX,  Aq.  2  Sam.  xiii.  IS),  i.e.  reaching  down  to  the  wrist 
(^Kapiro'i  '^eipo'i),  and  also  darpajaXeioi;  (Aq.  here),  i.e.  talaris 
(from  tali),  reaching  to  the  ankles,  hence  a  '^^^crcov  iroSr^pr]';  and 
at  the  same  time  ■^(^eipiBcoTO'i  (provided  with  sleeves).^  Tlie 
D''D3  nana  is,  according  to  2  Sam.  xiii.  18,  a  kind  of  ^H'P,  and 
is  there  mentioned  as  the  distinguishing  costume  of  the  un- 
married  daughters  of  a  king.  This  preference  for  the  favourite 
dislocated  the  brotherly  relation,  ver.  4  :  TImi  his  brothers  saiv 
that  his  father  loved  him  more  than  his  brothers,  and  they  hated 
him,  and  cotdd  not  say  peace  to  him,  i.e.  could  not  address  liim 
("13^,  as  at  Num.  xxvi.  3,  with  an  accus.  of  the  obj.)  with  the 
wish  '^7  QiT-"  (prosperity  be  to  thee  !),  hence  they  did  not  control 
themselves  so  as  to  give  him  a  friendly  greeting  (comp.  bxc^ 
niW^  xliii.  27,  Ex.  xviii.  7,  i.e.  "^b  DiSc'n,  to  put  the  question  : 
Is  it  well  with  thee  ?). 

We  are  now  told  how  Joseph  increased  the  hatred  of  his 
brothers  by  relating  his  dreams  to  them,  ver.  5  :  And  Joseph 
dreamed  a  dream  and  told  it  to  his  brethren,  then  they  hated 
him  yet  the  more.  If  vv.  5—11  are,  as  it  appears,  derived  from 
another  narrator,  it  is  the  redactor  who  links  together  the 
extracts  from  the  two  sources  by  the  words,  "  then  they  hated 
him  yet  the  more."  This  increase  of  hatred,  on  this  fresh 
account,  does  not  of  itself  exclude  that  which  existed  because 
of  his  father's  preference.  I  cannot  see  that  56  is  here  un- 
suitable (Dillm.),  the  whole  verse  being  related,  as  its  theme, 
to  what  follows  (like  ii.  8  to  ii.  9-15),  The  first  dream, 
vv.  6,  7:  And  he  said  to  tlicm:  Hear,  I  pray  yon,  the  dream 
that  I  have  dreamed :  And  lo,  ive  were  binding  sheaves  in  the 
midst  of  the  field,  and,  behold,  my  sheaf  arose  and  also  stood  up, 
a7id,  behold,  your  sheaves  stood  round  about  and  bowed  themselves 
before  my  sheaf.     Two  nsni  are  found  in  one  verse,  xxix.  2, 

1  lu  tlio  Mislmic  and  Syriac  D3  nieans  not  extremity  but  surface  (see  Men- 

achoth  i.  2  :  he  has  to  stretch  out  his  finger  Tf'  DS  ?]}  to  the  whole  extent  of 
the  hand,  i.e.  without  curving  or  doubling) ;  Miihlau-Volk  in  Ges.  Lex.  10th 
edit.,  seek  to  deduce  the  meanings  cut  off  (terminate)  and  extend  from  the  same 
root. 


GENESIS  XXXVII.  8-11  257 

here  there  are  tlirce.  The  name  for  sheaf  ns3x  occurs  only 
here  and  Ps.  cxxvi.  6,  and  the  denominate  oVii  only  here. 
The  dream  of  Joseph  shows  that  his  father,  like  his  grand- 
father (xxvi.  12),  combined  agriculture  and  the  rearing  of 
cattle.  Eeception  of  the  relation  of  the  dream,  ver.  8  :  Then 
his  hrethrcn  said  to  him :  Shalt  thou  indeed  he  Icing  over  us,  or 
shalt  thou  hccome  our  ruler,  and  they  hated  him  still  more  for 
his  dreams  and  his  u'ords,  i.e.  on  account  of  the  arrogant 
tenor  of  such  dreams  and  the  insulting  candour  with  which 
he  related  them.  As  Joseph  had  as  yet  told  them  but  one 
dream,  the  plural  I'nbXn  is  striking ;  it  must  be  understood  as 
the  categorical  plur.,  but  leaves  room  for  tlie  conjecture  that 
8b  (and  therefore  5&  also,  as  results  retrospectively)  did  not 
belong  to  the  text  of  the  excerpted  sources.  The  second  dream 
and  its  reception  by  his  brethren  and  his  father,  vv.  9-11  : 
And  he  dreamed  yet  a  dream  and  told  it  to  his  Irethren.  lie 
said:  Behold  I  have  dreamed  again,  and  lo,  the  sun  and  the 
moon  and  the  eleven  stars  cast  themselves  down  before  me.  And 
he  told  it  to  his  father  and  his  b7xthren ;  then  his  father  rebuked 
him  and  said  to  him :  What  is  this  dream  that  thou  hast 
dreamed — shall  we,  I  and  thy  mother  and  thy  brethren,  indeed 
come  to  boio  ourselves  doimi  to  the  earth  before  thee  ?  And  his 
brethren  envied  him,  but  his  father  kept  the  thing  in  mind.  The 
sentence  vnxp  inx  nsp^i  is,  in  respect  of  the  ^"'?^"^><  "i?P!l 
Vnx"7X1  which  follows  in  ver.  10,  not  only  superfluous,  but 
interrupting ;  accordingly  the  LXX  takes  koX  Sii]y)jaaTo  avro 
Tftj  irarpl  Kal  rot?  aSeX^ot?  avrov  into  ver.  9  and  expunges 
it  in  ver.  10.  In  any  case  this  second  isdm  (without  inx) 
belongs  to  the  original  text,  comp,  13^  5a.  By  the  eleven 
stars  may  certainly  be  meant  eleven  of  the  stars  of  the 
Zodiac  (nvj^),  for  Joseph  does  not  say  ""ti'yn  nns*,  because  he 
thinks  of  himself  as  the  twelfth.  The  sun  is  Jacob-Israel,  the 
eleven  stars  the  eleven  brethren,  and  the  moon  the  dead  but 
unforgotten  and  unlost  Eachel.  The  dreams  were  images  of 
the  future  elevation  of  Joseph  over  the  whole  house  of  Jacob. 

VOL.  II.  B 


258  GENESIS  XXXVII.  ]2-t4. 

They  came  frcra  Joseph's  deeply  gifted  prepentient  mind 
{BiUische  Psychol,  p.  280  sq.)  not  without  God,  but  the  counsel 
of  God  was  still  concealed  from  human  eyes.  Hence  this  second 
dream  brings  upon  the  dreamer  quite  a  harsh  rebuke  from  his 
father.  But  while  the  brethren  persevered  in  their  suspicious 
jealousy,  Jacob,  without  his  affection  for  him  being  diminished, 
kept  the  thing  in  memory,  "i^ti'^  LXX  Stenjprjae,  like  avven'jpei 
Luke  ii.  19. 

When  then  Joseph  was  on  a  certain  occasion  sent  by  his 
father  to  a  distance  to  see  after  his  brethren,  they  resolved,  as 
soon  as  they  saw  him,  to  get  rid  of  their  hated  brother  by 
violence,  vv.  12-18.  It  is  at  once  perceived  by  the  name 
!?Xib'"'  that  J  is  here  the  narrator,  vv.  12  —  14:  Then  his 
hrdhrcn  ivcnt  to  feed  their  fathers  sheep  in  Sichcmi.  And 
Israel  said  to  Joseph :  Do  not  thy  brethren  feed  the  flock  in 
Sichem  ?  Up  then,  I  will  send  thee  to  them  !  He  said  to  him  : 
Here  am  I.  And  he  said  to  him :  Go  noio,  see  after  the  welfare 
of  thy  hrcthren  and  the  ivclfare  of  the  floch,  and  briny  me  hack 
ivord.  So  he  sent  him  forth  from  the  rale  of  Hehron  to  Sichem. 
When  Jacob  migrated  to  Aramaea,  it  was  done  from  his 
father's  house  in  Beersheba ;  and  when  after  a  long  period  he 
returned  by  indirect  journeys  to  his  father's  house,  it  was  in 
Hebron,  one  of  the  few  cities  of  the  Holy  Laud  which  are 
situate  in  valleys.  It  seems  strange  that  the  sons  of  Jacob 
and  their  flocks  should  have  gone  so  far  north  as  the  district  of 
Shechem,  the  city  which,  since  it  was  so  murderously  attacked 
by  Simeon  and  Levi,  was  at  strife  with  his  family.  The 
enmity  of  the  Shechemites  must  have  been  in  some  manner 
appeased  between  the  sojourn  of  Jacob  in  Shechem  and  in 
Hebron.^  hj<  12&  is  over-punctuated,  and  as  to  style  might  be 
dispensed  with  (comp.  e.y.  Isa.  Ixi.  5  with  Ezek.  xxxiv.  8). 
Joseph  willingly  consents  to  his  father's  proposal  to  send  him 

1  Kuenen  {Einl.  §  13,  note  7)  conjectures  that  R  with  respect  to  P^  substituted 
Hebron  for  some  other  city.  But  the  burial  of  the  three  patriarchs  in  Mach- 
pelah  near  Hebron  is  not  a  mere  view  of  P^,  but  a  national  tradition,  with 
which  1.  5  is  only  apparently  in  contradiction. 


GENESIS  XXXVII.  I0-I8.  259 

to  Shechem  (where  we  may  imagine  the  brothers  feeding  their 
flocks  in  the  plain  of  Machnah  on  the  west  of  the  city), 
to  inquire  after  their  welfare  and  that  of  the  flochs 
(mf  welfare,  then  ambiguous,  like  taldudo).  He  accord- 
ingly goes  to  Shechem,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  which 
however  he  seeks  in  vain  for  his  brothers,  vv.  15-17: 
And  a  man  met  him,  and  heliold  Tie  was  wandering  in 
the  field,  and  the  man  ashed  him  saying :  Wliat  secJcest 
thou  ?  And  he  said :  I  am  seeking  my  brethren  ;  tell  Tue,  I  'pray 
thee,  ichere  they  are  feeding.  And  the  man  said:  They  have 
departed  hence,  for  I  heard  them  say :  We  will  go  to  Dothajin. 
Then  Joseph  ivent  after  his  brethren  and  met  them  in  Dothan. 
The  classic  style  prefers  to  leave  subjects  and  objects  unex- 
pressed, where  they  can  be  dispensed  with.  So  here  we 
have  nj;'h  nsni  without  N^n,  nnpx  ^rip^C'  for  D^nV'Ptf'  (Samar.), 
comp.  4«  T?.!l  he  told  (it),  10«  "i£p'^l  he  related  (it),  21a  V^f"), 
|31S")  and  Eeuben  heard  (it).  A  similar  instance  already, 
vi.  19,  and  here  a  little  farther  on,  21a,  256,  27 &,  32a.  The 
question  runs :  What  seekest  thou  ?  for  the  inquirer  does  not 
yet  know  that  Joseph  is  seeking  persons.  .  The  form  of  the 
name  Tjy^  interchanging  with  inM  is  like  TPJ^V,  ^Y^"^'^\,  P.l'?*^*', 
no  Dual,  but  a  diphthongal  pronunciation  of  the  termination 
an  {drri)}  the  Greek  writing  AcoOaei'fi,  or  what  is  the  same, 
AcoOat/j,  in  the  LXX,  and  Judith  iv.  6,  vii.  3.  viii.  3  repro- 
duces D^nM  ;  the  name  AwTala,  id.  iii.  10,  is  the  same  helleuized. 
Tell  Dothdn,  a  beautiful  hill,  at  the  southern  foot  of  which 
bubbles  forth  a  spring,  about  five  leagues  north  of  Sabastija 
(Samaria),  as  Eusebius  and  Jerome  already  state,  west  of 
'Gennin,  and  westward  (see  Biideker,  p.  237)  of  the  road 
leading  from  Nabulus  to  'Gennin,  still  marks  the  situation  of 
the  place.  Seeing  Joseph  at  a  distance,  the  brothers  agree  to 
get  rid  of  him,  ver.  1 8  :  Tliey  saw  him  afar  off,  and  before  he 
came  near  to  them,  they  rtiade  him  the  object  of  a  crafty  plot  to 

1  See  Wellhauseu,  Composition  des  Htxateuchs,  on  Gen.  xxxii.  1-3  (D^Jno) ; 
comp.  Merx'  Archiv,  iiL  352. 


260  GENESIS  XXXVII.  10-22. 

hill  him.  Thus  is  ^35^n  conceived  with  an  accusative  object 
instead  of  with  i3  Ps.  cv.  25:  "they  treated  him  craftily" 
would  not  do  full  justice  to  the  notion.  If  it  is  E  who  refers, 
vv.  5-11,  the  hatred  of  the  brothers  to  Joseph's  dreams,  it  is 
from  him  also  that  vv.  19,  20  are  derived.  And  they  said 
one  to  another :  Behold,  this  dreamer  conuth  !  And  now  up,  let  us 
kill  him  and  cast  him  into  a  'pit  and  say :  A  wild  beast  has  torn 
him  to  pieces  ;  and  we  shall  see  what  luill  become  of  his  dreams. 
The  H;)!!  enhanced  to  HT^i^  ^  occurs  in  /,  besides  here  only  at 
xxiv.  65.  The  combination  niroSnn  hv^  is  without  an  analogous 
example  in  the  Pentateuch.  ni2  (^'i^D  is  the  pit  as  distinguished 
from  ii??  the  well.  The  nx-i3  is  just  as  scornful  as  nxij  ;yp^ 
Isa.  V.  19.  When  they  have  killed  him  and  left  his  corpse  to 
decay  in  a  pit,  they  think  it  will  then  be  seen  how  ridiculous 
were  his  high-flown  dreams.  But  here  too  man's  sin  and 
God's  plan  are  found  to  work  together.  The  elevation  dreamed 
of  by  Joseph  becomes  the  means  of  his  brethren's  downfall, 
to  become  subsequently  that  of  their  uprising.  God  makes 
sin  itself  subservient  to  His  plan,  and  thus  a  co-operating 
factor  in  the  coming  deliverance. 

Postponement  of  the  murder  by  Eeuben,  vv.  21,  22  :  And 
Beuben  heard  it  and  delivered  him  out  of  their  hand,  and  said : 
We  will  not  take  his  life.  For  Reuben  said  to  them :  Do  not 
shed  blood,  cast  him  into  this  pit,  ivhich  is  in  the  wilderness,  and 
do  not  lay  hand  upon  him — (this  he  said) — that  he  might 
deliver  him  out  of  their  hand  and  restore  him  to  his  father. 
Ver.  21  is,  like  ver.  5,  an  anticipative  summary  of  what  follows. 
Instead  of  iC'23  nzin  he  smites  the  life  of  such  an  one  (Lev. 
xxiv.  17  sq.),  K'd:  ^nan  with  two  accusatives  (Ges.  §  139,  note), 
he  smites  his  life,  i.e.  kills  him  (Deut.  xix.  6  and  frequently), 
is  also  used.  It  cannot  be  discerned  from  the  style  whether 
ver.  2 1  sq.  is  derived  from  J  or  F.  But  that  their  different 
accounts  are  farther  on  combined  is  seen  from  the  merchants 
who  took  Joseph  with  them  to  Egypt  being  twice  called 
^  The  Samar.  translates  :  the  splendid  (excellent)  dreamer,  comp.  on  xxiv.  65. 


GENESIS  XXXVII.  23-27.  261 

Ishmaelites  (vv.  25,  2Sh)  and  twice  Midianites  (vv.  28a,  3G);  in 
ver.  28  the  excerpts  from  the  two  sources  strike  sharply  against 
each  other.  One  source  (U)  related  that  Eeuben  dissuaded 
them  from  killing  Joseph  and  advised  them  to  cast  him  into  a 
pit  and  to  leave  him  to  his  fate,  intending  to  take  him  out 
secretly  and  to  help  him  to  escape  to  Hebron.  But  that  when 
after  some  time  he  came  to  look  after  him,  he  had  disappeared ; 
some  passing  Midianite  merchants  having  drawn  him  out  and 
carried  him  away,  as  Joseph  himself  says,  xl.  15  :  I  was 
secretly  stolen  out  of  the  land  of  the  Ibrim.  The  redactor 
gave  the  preference  to  the  narrative  of  J,  according  to  which 
Judah  advised  not  to  kill  but  to  sell  him  to  the  Ishmaelites, 
subordinating  to  it  and  arranging  in  it  what  he  derived  from  U. 
Next  follows  the  casting  into  the  pit,  related  in  U  and  J,  vv. 
23,  24  :  And  it  came  to  pass  ivlien  Joseph  was  come  to  Ms  h'eilircn, 
that  they  took  off  from  Joseph  his  garment,  the  (jarment  reaching 
far  doivn  which  he  had  on,  and  took  him  and  cast  him  into  the 
2nt ;  and  the  piit  icas  empty,  there  was  no  water  in  it.  They 
strip  him  of  his  long  tunic  ('2''^'?'?  M'ith  two  accusatives,  like 
C"'3pn  Ges.  §  139.  1),  because  they  mean  to  .make  it  by  and  by 
the  means  of  diverting  suspicion  from  themselves.  Like 
Joseph,  Jeremiah  also  was  cast  into  a  pit  wherein  was  no 
water,  but  Jeremiah  sank  in  mire,  Jer.  xxxviii.  6.  By  the 
advice  of  Judah  he  is  sold,  vv.  25-27  :  And  they  sat  down  to 
eat  food  ;  then  they  lifted  np  their  eyes  and  saw,  and  hehold  a 
travelling  company  of  Ishmaelites  coming  from  Gilead  ivith  their 
camels  laden  with  tragaeanth  and  lalsam  and  ladanum,  upon 
the  way  to  carry  it  doivn  to  Egypt.  Then  Judah  said  to  his 
hrethren :  What  profit  have  we  that  we  slay  our  brother  and 
conceal  his  blood  ?  Up,  let  us  sell  him  to  the  Ishmaelites,  and 
let  not  our  hand  he  wpon  him,  for  he  is  our  brother,  oiir  flesh — 
and  his  brethren  hearkened  (to  it).  The  IMidianites  (who 
according  to  xxv.  2  are  only  a  collateral  tribe  of  the  Ishmael- 
ites proper)  are  called  Ishmaelites,  Judg.  viii.  24,  whence  it 
appears  that  this  had  become  a  general  designation  of  the 


262  GENESIS  XXXVIl.  28. 

desert  tribes,  who  are  elsewhere  called  ^''^IV  or  (from  hadu, 
desert)  Bedouins,  nnnk  (fem.  from  nnk  a  traveller,  plur. 
ninnx  Isa.  xxi.  13,  or,  as  if  it  were  a  fem.  from  n"]N'^  niniN  Job 
vi.  19)  means  that  which  is  travelling,  viz.  a  travelling  com- 
pany, called  in  Persian  Jcarwdn.  The  caravan,  which  came 
within  sight  of  Jacob's  sons  as  they  were  resting  and  eating, 
was  from  Gilead,  and  its  camels  were  carrying  spices,  which 
were  then  as  now  the  chief  articles  of  import  of  the  Arabico- 
Egyptian  caravan  trade.  nxb3  is  tragacanth  or  tragant  (see  this 
article  in  Eiehm's  HW.),  the  resinous  gum  of  the  Astragalus 
qummifer  and  many  other  Palestinian  kinds  of  astragali,  "'"i^ 
(according  to  the  formations  W,  ''N"|)  is  not  real  balsam  from  the 
balsam  tree,  but  (see  Mastix  in  Eiehm)  the  gum  of  the  Fistacia 
lentiscus,i.e.  the  mastix  tree,  to'^  is  ladanum,  i.e.  the  aromatic  gum 
(Xrjhavov,  Xdhavov)  of  the  Cistus  crcticus  (XriZo<i,  X^jSov).  The 
caravan  had  crossed  over  Jordan  at  Beisan,  as  is  still  done,  and 
was  taking  the  high  road  which  led  from  Beisan  and  Zer  in  to 
Eamleh  and  Egypt,  and  entered  west  of  'Gennin  the  plain  in 
which  Dothan  lies.  Judah  advised  his  brothers  to  sell  Joseph  to 
these  travelling  Ishmaelites,  opposing,  as  Abravanel  remarks, 
three  reasons  against  depriving  him  of  life.  This  murder  would 
be  criminal  fratricide  (^^7.^?  ''^''0?,  an  appositional  connection  ac- 
cording to  Ges.  §  113)  ;  and  as  it  would  bring  them  no  profit 
— not  even  the  satisfaction  of  revenge,  since  they  would  have 
to  conceal  the  deed — there  was  no  object  to  gain  by  it.  His 
proposal  found  approval.  E  is  now  the  narrator,  28  a,  and 
joins  on  to  Eeuben's  counsel,  who  was  purposing  to  deliver 
Joseph  :  Then  there  passed  ly  Midianite  merchants,  and  they 
drew  and  lifted  up  Joseph  out  of  the  pit.  It  is  the  meaning  of 
E  that  the  Midianites  drew  him  up,  but  of  the  composition,  as 
we  have  it,  that  the  brothers  did  this,  as  the  caravan  was 
approaching,  so  that  what  now  follows  from  J  joins  on  to 
28a  without  contradicting  it.  285  ;  And  they  sold  Joseph  to 
the  Ishmaelites  for  tiventy  pieces  of  silver,  and  they  brought  Joseph 
to   Egypt.     We   must   supply   ?\^}^   or   Qvi^'f   (Lev.   xxvii.   3, 


GENESIS  XXXVII.  29-35.  2G3 

2  Kings  XV.  20).  The  average  price  of  a  slave  was,  according 
to  Ex.  xxi.  32,  thirty  shekels.  A  slave  afterwards  cost  just 
as  much  (120  drachma  =30  tetradrachmic  shekels)  in  the 
market  of  Alexandria  (Joseph.  A)it.  xii.  2.  3), — the  Midianites 
would  of  course  make  a  profit  by  the  transaction.  Eeuben's 
consternation,  according  to  £,  vv.  29,  30  :  TJioi  Beiiben  came 
hack  to  the  pit,  and  helwld  Joseph  was  not  in  the  pit ;  and  he  rent 
his  garments  and  returned  to  his  brethren,  and  said :  The  hoy  is 
not  there,  and  I — whitlwr  shall  I  go  1 !  He,  the  most  respon- 
sible, because  the  eldest  of  the  brothers,  desired  to  rescue 
Joseph  (22Z>,  comp.  xlii.  22),  and  now  he  sees  to  his  horror 
that  the  expedient,  by  which  he  had  thought  to  effect  this, 
lias  turned  out  to  Joseph's  ruin.  Henceforth  the  narratives 
of  J  and  E  concur.  The  text  has  chiefly  the  tone  of  J ;  the 
Midianites  again  raeutioned  at  the  close  are  a  sure  token  of 
E.  The  sending  of  the  blood-stained  garment,  vv.  31,  32  : 
And  they  took  Joseph's  garment,  and  killed  a  he-goat,  and  dip'ped 
the  garment  in  the  hlood.  And  they  sent  away  the  garment  that 
reached  far  down,  and  hronght  it  to  their  father  and  said :  This 
have  we  found;  see  now  carefully  v:hether  it  he  thy  sons  garment 
or  not  ?  A  similar  ""isi^  of  testing  observation  is  found  xxxviii. 
25,  xxxi.  32.  The  n  of  ri:h3n  is  the  interrogative,  which  before 
a  consonant  with  Sheva  cannot  be  other  than  ^,  and  this 
either  with  a  Metheg  like  i^^lTpn  xxxiv.  31,  or  as  here  (comp. 
Ges.  §  100.  4)  with  a  following  Dagesh.  When  the  aged 
father  sees  the  bloody  garment  of  his  favourite  son,  he  immedi- 
ately comes  to  the  conclusion  contemplated  by  the  brethren, 
and  mourns  for  him  as  one  dead,  vv.  33-35  :  And  he  looked 
carefully  and  said  :  My  son's  coat !  A  wild  hcast  has  devoured 
him.  Joseph  is  torn,  yea  torn  to  'pieces.  And  Jacob  rent  his 
clothes,  and  piit  sackcloth  ahout  his  loins,  and  mourned  long 
for  his  son.  And  all  his  sons  and  daughters  arose  to  comfort 
him,  but  lie,  refused  to  be  comforted,  and  said  :  Nay,  I  will  go 
down  to  the  world  beneath  mourning  for  my  son.  So  his  father 
wept  for  him.     That  Joseph  is  torn  to  pieces  is  designated  as 


264  GENESIS  XXXVII.  36. 

a  fact  by  ^ib,  and  as  quite  beyond  doubt  by  the  inf.  intens. 
ei"-i9  {Kal  according  to  Ges.  §  131.  3,  note  2).  In  xliv.  28 
■^^^  is  added  as  a  still  further  enhancement.  Instead  of 
"inJ3  J?"ip,  we  have  here  vri>»b'  yip,  as  at  xliv.  13,  a  variation 
critically  unimportant.  Jacob  grounds  his  rejection  of  the 
consolation  of  his  sons  and  daughters  (comp.  above,  p.  180) 
on  l?.^?"''?.  It  is  here  and  farther  on  in  the  history  of  Joseph, 
xlii.  38,  xliv.  29,  31,  that  the  fcm.  noun  Sheol  {masc.  only 
Job  xxvi.  6,  but  then  with  a  preceding  predicate)  is  mentioned 
for  the  first  time  in  the  0.  T.  ^^^^,  from  ^N•t^'=i?J;:^',  bli^  V  h>z\ 
J-j,  to  be  slack,  languid,  to  hang  down,  to  sink  down,  means 
the  hollow  (see  on  Isa.  v.  14,  and  xl.  12,  l^y^ib),  and  corre- 
sponds with  tian,  the  deep,  the  Egyptian  name  for  the  sub- 
terranean world.  The  later  usage  of  the  language  may  have 
thought  of  the  verb  h\X^  to  summon,  and,  as  seems  to  follow 
from  Prov.  xxx.  15  sq.,  Isa.  v.  14,  Hab.  ii.  5,  have  under- 
stood bis:r  of  the  place  to  which  all  terrestrial  beings 
are  summoned.^  Thither  is  Joseph  gone,  thither,  where 
human  existence  continues  in  a  shadowy  manner,  will 
Jacob  follow  him  ;  till  then  there  is  no  more  com- 
fort or  joy  for  him.  73X  is  equivalent  to  ii^,^?  xlii.  38, 
xliv.  31;  P?^nn  34&  also  means  not  merely  mourning  attire, 
but  especially  the  grief  of  mourning  (Num.  xiv.  39).  The 
sale  of  Joseph  into  Egypt,  according  to  E,  ver.  36  :  And  the 
Midianitcs  sold  Jiim  into  Egypt,  to  Potiphar,  a  court  offi,cicd  of 
rharaoh,  a  captain  of  the  guard.  ^VH'?  ^^^  ^^'®  ^^^^  called 
C'p'jjp,  which,  according  to  xxv.  2,  is  the  name  of  a  tribe 
nearly  akin  to  Midian.  So  too  iS"'tpi3  here  and  at  xxxix.  1 
is  the  shorter  form  of  the  name  VIS  ''pis  xli.  45,  xlvi.  20  ; 

^  The  name  of  this  world  below  is  in  Ass}'rian  sudhi  (written  su-dlu,  as  if  it 
meant  the  powerful  city)  ;  the  verb  .?a'dlu  means  to  question,  to  decide,  to  rule, 
and  according  to  the  Assyrian  usage  of  language,  the  notion  of  a  requisitionary 
summoning  power  for  piXtJ'  is  the  result.  The  best  word  for  it  is  the  world 
beneath,  for  hell  is  equivalent  to  yi'ma.  Luther  himself  felt  this,  when  he  ex- 
changed "  Holle  "  (hell)  in  Gen.  xxxvii.  35,  xlii.  38,  xliv.  29,  31  (as  he  sixty- 
seven  times  translates  SiNC),  for  "  Grube  "  (pit).  See  Kamphausen's  article  on 
the  subject  in  Zimraermann's  Theol.  Literaturhlatt,  1872,  Nos.  6,  7. 


GENESIS  XXXVII.  36.  265 

LXX  JTfcTe0/c»j}9  or  /lej^re^pr;?  (see  LagarJe,  Genesis,  p.  20). 
The  name  (compounded  from  jj-d-c-ph-ra)  he  who  (ct  =  cni) 
is  the  {e  =  em)  sun -god's/  compare  the  names  IIer€aix?]v, 
IleTeixTrafievTT]';,  UeVecr t9  and  the  shorter  DOS  (belonging  to 
the  goddess  Muth).  The  sun-god  is  called  Pa  or  Pt],  with 
the  aspirated  article  Memphitic  ^pt].  Dno,  gelding  (eunuch), 
which  is  also  Babylonian  and  Himyaritic,  means  likewise  by  an 
obliteration  of  the  fundamental  meaning,  a  courtier  in  general, 
as  the  Arab.  <»c>l^  means  contrariwise  first,  a  servant  and  then 
u  eunuch.  "  Slayer"  in  the  official  title  ^'natpn  "ib  is  not  equal 
to  butcher  (Luth.  in  Comm.  prciefecto  Icinioriim)  or  cook  (LXX 
dp')(^ifj.d<yeLpo<i),  but  the  executioners  (comp.  nnD  Ezek.  xxi.  15, 
Lam.  ii.  21),  the  inflictors  of  capital  punishment,  were  so 
called  (Jer.  magistro  milituiii),  Potiphar  was  captain  of  the 
bodyguard,  who  as  such  had  to  execute  capital  punishment  on 
the  condemned,  like  Nebuzaradan  and  Arioch,  who  bore  tlie 
same  title  at  the  Chaldnean  court.  It  was  on  this  account  that 
the  State  prison  was  under  his  supervision,^  xl,  3  sq.  In  the 
time  of  Herodotus  Pharaoh's  bodyguard  consisted  of  1000 
Hermotybians  and  1000  Kalasirians,  wlio  were  dismissed 
daily,  so  that  the  whole  army  might  enjoy  the  advantages  of 
the  prolitable  service  at  the  court.  At  the  time  however  that 
Joseph  came  to  Egypt,  the  military  class  was  not  yet  organized. 
The  sale  of  Joseph  took  place  in  his  seventeenth  year,  for 
this  statement  of  his  age  xxxvii.  2  is  certainly  intended  as  the 
chronological  setting  of  what  is  afterwards  related.  Joseph 
was  born,  xxx.  25,  after  the  second  7  years  of  the  Meso- 
potamian  service  had  elapsed.  This  lasted  20  years,  xxxi. 
38 ;  but  granting  that  it  is  consistent  with  xxx.  25  to 
delay  Joseph's  birth  to  the   sixth  year  after  the  7  +  7,  yet  it 

^  The  name  Ra  means,  according  to  Brugsch,  "the  maker  of  existence"  {qui 
facit  esse),  viz.  to  the  perception  of  the  senses  ;  see  the  article  on  the  Egyptian 
religion  by  Victor  v.  Strauss  and  Torney  in  the  Conserv.  Monatsschr.  Aug.  1882. 

-  See  the  illustration  of  the  white  castle  of  Memphis  (after  the  mosaic  of 
Praeneste)  in  Cunningham  Geikie's  instructive  Hours  tvith  the  Bible,  vol.  i. 
(1881)  p.  461. 


266  GENESIS  XXXVII.  36. 

could  not  possibly  have  been  in  the  twentieth  year,  for  Joseph 
at  the  return  to  Canaan  was,  according  to  xxxiii.  7,  no  loDger 
a  suckling.     But  supposing  hiin  to  have  been  born  after  the 
7  +  7  years,  he  would  have  been  at  the  return  a  boy  of    6. 
There  would  thus  be  11   years  between  Jacob's  return  and 
Joseph's  disappearance,  during  the  far  greater  part  of  which 
Jacob   would   be  not    yet   with    his   father,  but  at  Succoth, 
Shechem,  and  in  the  district  of  Bethlehem.     If  then  Jacob 
arrived  at  Haran  in  his  seventieth  year,  we  must  raise  these 
11    years    from    the    return     of    Jacob     to     the    selling    of 
Joseph  to  17,  for  the  130   years  of  Jacob  on  his  appearance 
before   Pharaoh    (xlvii.   9)  can  only   be   obtained  by  adding 
together  the  70  years  of  Jacob  when  he  migrated  to  Meso- 
potamia, the  20  years  of  his  sojourn  there,  17  years  from  his 
return  to   Joseph's    disappearance,    13    years    thence    to    his 
elevation,  and  10  years  thence  to  the  migration  into  Egypt. 
But  if   Joseph   were    6    years   old   at  his  father's  return  to 
Canaan  and  17  at  his  own  disappearance,  it  is  impossible  to 
admit  17  years  between  the  return  and  this  disappearance. 
Hence  Jacob  at  his  arrival  in  Haran  cannot  have  been  70,  but 
76  (see  Demetrius'  statement  in  Euseb.  Frccjp.  ix.  21),  and  so 
90  when  Joseph  was  born,  107  when  he  disappeared,  120  at 
his  elevation,  and  130  at  the  migration  to  Egypt  (130  =  76  + 
14  +  17  +  13  +  10).     Jacob's  107th  year  would  be  the  167th 
of  Isaac,  who  lived  to  be  180.   Hence  the  selling  of  Joseph  hap- 
pened only  in  appearance  after  Isaac's  death.     It  was  not  in 
reality,  but  only  to  history,  that  he  died  long  before  that  event. 
It   is  historiographic   art   to  break   off  in   the   history  of 
Joseph  at  xxxvii.  36.     We  thus  get  to  experience  with  him 
the  comfortless  darkness  of   the  two  decades,  during  which 
hopeless    and  sorrowful  longing  was  gnawing   at   the  heart 
of  the  aged  father,  and  the  secret  curse  of  deadly  sin  deceit- 
fully concealed  was   weighing  on  the  souls  of  his  children. 
Meantime  another  history  is  related,  which  seems,  but  is  not 
an  episode.     Eor  the  superscription  of  this  long   tenth  part 


GENESIS  XXXVIII.  1,  2.  2G7 

of  Genesis  is  not  t)Di''  nn^in  but  apy  nn^^n,  and  the  con- 
tents of  cli.  xxxviii.  are  of  no  less  importance  than  the 
history  of  Joseph  to  the  history  of  Jacob,  nay,  are  even  in 
causal  connection  with  it.  For  the  impulse  to  a  new  move- 
ment in  conformity  with  the  promise,  which  the  history  of 
the  line  of  promise  received  in  Joseph,  found  its  occasion  in 
the  danger,  manifest  from  ch.  xxxviii.,  it  was  in,  of  settling 
itself  in  a  manner  contrary  to  the  promise ;  and  when  it  came 
to  pass  that  the  now  separating  paths  of  Jacob's  family 
attained  in  his  lost  but  re-found  son  to  the  unity  of  a  new 
turning-point  and  goal,  we  need  to  learn  how  the  family  of 
Judali,  which  migrated  with  the  rest  into  Egypt,  and  was  to 
be  the  chief  and  ruling  tribe,  originated. 


THE  TWIN"  CHILDREN  OF  TAMAR  AND  JUDAH,  CH.  XXXVIII. 

It  is  with  a  vague  ^^^^'L'  ^V.^  that  what  follows,  at  least 
what  next  follows,  is  inserted  during  the  period  in  which 
Joseph  disappeared,  and  was  regarded  as  lost,  ver.  1  :  And  it 
came  to  pass  at  tJiat  time  that  Judah  ivent  down  from  his 
hrcthrcn  and  turned  in  to  a  man  of  Adidlam,  of  the  name  of 
Hirah.  The  hill  country  of  Judah  is  thought  of  as  the 
point  of  departure  in  *i^*l;  it  was  there  that  Jacob  dwelt  in 
Hebron,  aud  that  Judah  and  his  brethren  lived.  'AduUam, 
whose  king  is  mentioned  Josh.  xii.  15,  lay  in  the  plain  of 
Judah,  Josh.  xv.  35,  north-west  of  Hebron,  probably  (see 
Biideker,  p.  212)  one  league  south  of  Socho  (^Snvjcke). 
Here  dwelt  a  Canaanite  named  nvn  (which  may  mean 
"  freedom,"  like  ri^"in,  Syr.  hirutha),  to  whom  (iy,  as  at  1  Sam. 
ix.  9)  Judali  turned;  U*!  dcvcrtit,  like  ver.  16.  It  is  un- 
necessary to  understand  I2'l  in  this  passage  according  to 
xii.  8,  and  to  complete  it  by  vHX.  Here  in  Adullam  Judah 
married,  ver.  2  :  And  Judah  saw  there  the  daughter  of  a 
Canaanite  man,  whose  name  was  "Sua,  and  tool:  her  and  went 
in  unto  her.     Having  made  a  heathen  his  colleague,  Judah 


268  GENESIS  XXXVIII.  3-10. 

went  farther,  and  made  a  heathen  woman  his  wife  (as, 
according  to  xlvi.  10,  did  Simeon,  as  well  as  Ishmael  and 
Esau).  She  was  the  daughter  of  a  Canaanite  named  Vy^, 
and  therefore  not  belonging  to  the  little  town  of  Adullam. 
We  leave  conjectural  explanations  of  this  name  and  of  those 
which  follow  to  the  dictionaries.  Judah's  three  sons  by  the 
daughter  of  Shua,  vv.  3—5  :  A7id  she  conceived  and  hare  a 
son,  and  he  called  Ms  name  'Er.  And  she  conceived  again  and 
hare  a  son,  and  called  his  name  Onan.  And  she  yet  again 
hare  a  son,  and  called  his  name  Sela,  and  he  ivas  at  Chezih 
xvhen  she  hare  him.  1  Chron.  ii.  3  sq.  is  a  compendium  of 
what  is  related  here  and  to  the  end  of  the  chapter.  3^3  is 
one  with  ^''??^,  Micah  i  14,  in  the  plain  of  Judah,  Josh.  xv. 
44,  differing  from  the  north-Palestinian  3''t^^5  (Ecdippa,  now 
Zlh),  Josh.  xix.  29.  That  Chezib  is  the  birthplace  of  the 
''p^iJ'n  ^l^3L^'0  (Num.  xxvi.  20)  seems  also  pointed  out  by  ''l-"ji!? 
N3Tb,  1  Chron.  iv.  20,  belonging  to  this  branch  of  the  tribe  of 
Judah.  Instead  of  the  syntactically  striking  n\ni,  the  LXX  has 
avTTi  Be  Tjv,  hence  x''n'i.  ^^i?'.!  Zh,  along  with  two  ^"y^^).,  is  also 
strange.  The  Samar.  and  Targ.  Jer.  read  snpni  all  three  times. 
The  marriage  of  Er  and  his  early  death,  vv.  6,  7  :  And  Judah 
took  for  his  first-horn  'Er,  a  wife,  of  the  name  of  Tamar. 
And  'Er,  Judah's  first-horn,  was  evil  in  the  eyes  of  Jahveh, 
and  Jahveh  sleiu  him.  Tamar  (whose  name  means  the 
palm,  a  common  ancient  figure  for  a  woman  of  slender 
figure  and  for  imposing  female  beauty)  was  undoubtedly  a 
heathen,  and  indeed  of  unknown  descent.  Her  husband, 
without  leaving  issue,  died  an  early  death  as  the  penalty  of 
his  wickedness.  The  sin  of  Onan,  vv.  8—10  :  Then  Judah 
said  to  Onan :  Go  in  iLnto  thy  hrothers  wife,  and  enter  into 
a  hr  other -in-law' s  marriage  with  her,  and  raise  up  seed  to 
thy  hrother.  But  Onan  knew  that  the  seed  wotdd  not  he  his, 
and  it  came  to  ^"^^^  whenever  he  ivent  in  unto  his  hrothers 
wife,  he  destroyed  it  to  the  ground,  lest  he  shoidd  give  seed  to 
his    hrother.       And    wJiat    Jie    did    ivas  evil    in    the    sight  of 


GENESIS  XXXVIII.  U,  12.  269 

Jahveli,  and  he  slew  him.  What  here  appears  as  a  custom 
became  subsequently  Mosaic  law,  viz.  that  when  brothers 
dwell  together,  and  one  of  them  dies  witliout  leaving  a  son, 
her  husband's  brother  (D3^  levir)  shall  be  03^0,  i.e.  enter  into 
husband's  brother  (levirate)  marriage  with  the  widow,  and 
her  first-born  shall  bear  the  name  of  the  deceased,  that  his 
name  may  not  become  extinct  in  Israel,  Deut.  xxv.  5  sq. 
Onan  agreed  to  his  father's  demand,  but  through  coveting 
the  inheritance  and  out  of  malice  ^  prevented  its  purpose.  ^1^\ 
is  purposely  said  9&,  and  not  '''T."!,  because  not  a  single  but 
a  repeated  occurrence  is  intended,  as  at  Num.  xxi.  9,  Judg. 
vi.  3  (comp.  XXX.  41) ;  D5<,  followed  by  a  perf.,  has  here 
as  there  a  temporal  signification,  and  the  meaning  of 
quotiescunquc  (comp.  Ps.  xli.  7).  The  expression  to  destroy 
to  the  ground  is  like  Judg.  xx.  21,  25.  The  inf.  inp  for 
nn  occurs  again  in  the  Pentateuch,  ISTum.  xx.  21.  After 
the  premature  death  of  Onan  also,  Judah  consoles  his 
daughter-in-law  with  the  prospect  of  Shelah,  ver.  1 1 :  Then 
Judah  said  to  Tamar  his  daughtcv-in-law :  Jicmcmi  as  a 
vridow  in  thy  fathers  house,  until  my  son  ^Selah  is  grown 
up.  For  he  thought :  lest  he  also  die  like  his  hrothers.  And 
Tamar  went  and  remained  in  her  father  s  house.  That  a 
childless  widow  should  return  to  her  father's  house  (Lev. 
xxii.  13)  has  been  at  all  times  a  natural  custom.  Thither 
does  Judah  direct  his  daughter-in-law,  giving  her  hopes  of 
marriage  with  his  youngest  son,  who  was  not  yet  of  marriage- 
able age,  but  attracts  her  thither  with  this  prospect,  because 
he  fears  that  marriage  with  her  would  be  as  fatal  to  Shelah 
as  to  Er  and  Onan.  Meantime  Judah  also  becomes  a 
widower,  and  an  opportunity  arises  for  the  carrying  out 
of  a  crafty  design  by  Tamar,  ver.  12:  And  after  a  long 
time  had  passed,  Shut's  daughter,  the  wife  of  Judah,  died; 
and  when  Judah  Jmd  ended  his  Tnourning,  he  icent  up  to  his 
sheep-shearers,  he  and  Hirah    the  Adidlamitc,  his  companion, 

^  N?  in  17  t??  ""S  has  the  emphatic  Dagesb,  as  also  at  xix.  2. 


270  GENESIS  XXXVIII.  13,  14. 

to  Timnah.  In  loh  it  is  Judah  himself  who  is  said,  like 
Laban,  xxxi.  19,  to  shear  his  sheep.  It  was  an  act  performed 
in  the  presence  and  under  the  oversight  of  the  owner  of  the 
flock,  and  was,  like  the  vintage,  a  festival  given  by  him  to 
his  servants  (1  Sam.  xxv.  11),  to  which  guests  also  were 
invited  (2  Sam.  xiii.  23-27).  Thus  Judali  here  takes 
Hirah,  his  companion,  with  him.  The  LXX  and  Jerome 
read  'inyn^  which  ver.  20  may  seem  to  favour.  There  are 
three  Timnahs  (for  which  now  Tibncli) ;  that  here  meant  is 
the  one  mentioned  Josh.  xv.  57,  together  with  Gibeah,  in  the 
hill  country  of  Judah  (see  Miihlau  in  Eiehm),  between  Socho 
(jSuioeJx)  and  Beth-shemesh  {'Ai7i  ^^Scms),  the  Tibneh  of  the 
12th  route  in  Biideker,  p.  212.  ^V,  not  of  the  place,  but  of 
the  persons  to  whom  they  went  up,  is  here  combined,  as  at 
Josh.  ii.  8,  with  rh]}.  Tamar  hears  of  it,  disguises  herself, 
and  places  herself  on  the  road  to  Timnah,  vv.  13,  14: 
And  it  ivas  told  Tamar,  saying :  Behold,  thy  father-in-law 
goeth  up  to  Timnah  to  shear  his  sheejy.  Then  she  put  off  her 
widows  garments,  and  covered  herself  ivith  a  veil  and  disguised 
herself,  and  so  sat  at  the  entrance  of  'Unajim,  which  is  on  the 
luay  to  Timnah  ;  for  she  saiv  that  ^Sela  was  grown  up,  and  yet 
she  was  not  given  to  him  to  wife.  fW  xxxi.  19  is  here  ex- 
changed for  the  infinitive  form  w.  And  instead  of  D3nni  xxiv. 
65,  we  have  here  the  active :  she  made  a  covering  of  her  veil 
(as  at  Deut.  xxii.  12,  in  opposition  to  which  w^e  find  Jon. 
iii.  6  :  he  spread  sackcloth)  in  order  not  to  be  recognised  as  his 
daughter-in-law.  ^?yn^l  is  not  meant  of  ornaments  (n^iT  n"*^ 
Prov.  vii.  10)  (LXX,  Onk.  Syr.),  but  of  disguising  after  the 
manner  of  a  harlot  (like  n^tpy  Cant.  i.  7).  She  intended  to 
appear,  according  to  Canaanite  custom,  as  a  ^f"}.?  (Assyr. 
Icadistu),  i.e.  one  exposing  herself  in  honour  of  Astarte,  the 
goddess  of  love,  and  in  this,  according  to  ver.  21  sq.,  she  suc- 
ceeded. She  seated  herself  at  the  entry  of  the  village  (hence 
nna  not  '^V'^)  'Enajim,  in  order  to  escape  by  stratagem  the  dis- 
grace of  childlessness  :  non  temporalis  usum  libidinis  requisivit 


GENESIS  XXXVIII.  15-18.  271 

scd  sv£ccssionis  gratiain  concupivit  (Ambrose).  As  |ri'"n  (Q^'"i)  and 
pnM  (Dl'ni)  are  interchanged,  so  is  D''^''^  one  with  D3''yn  in  tlie 
plain  of  Jndah,  Josh.  xv.  34  (comp.  here  ver.  21  D'':''i'3), 
Ancient  translators  (Targums,  Syr.  Jer.  Saad.),  the  LXX 
excepted  (Alvdv),  ignore  that  cry  (two  fountains)  is  here  the 
name  of  a  town.  li.  Chanan  in  Jallcut,  §  145,  already 
correctly  appeals  to  Josh.  xv.  34.  Judah  sees  her  and  is 
seized  with  carnal  lust,  vv.  15,  IG  :  Then  JudaJi  saw  her  and 
took  her  for  a  harlot,  for  she  had  covered  her  faec.  And  he 
turned  aside  to  her  in  the  way  and  said:  Come  then,  I  will 
come  in  unto  tJiee.  For  he  knew  not  that  she  was  his  dau'jhter- 
in-laio.  And  she  said :  Wliat  wilt  thoic  give  me  that  thou 
maycst  come  in  unto  me  ?  His  not  recognising  her  as  his 
daughter-in-law  arose  from  her  being  veiled,  and  his  taking 
her  for  a  harlot  from  her  disguise  and  her  sitting  on  the 
watch.  Then  he  turned  aside  to  her  (nt23  as  e.g.  Num.  xx. 
17,  and  really  like  ^IS  Hos.  iv.  14)  '^I'ilD'^^'i'  wliere  she  was 
sitting  by  the  way;  LXX,  e^eKkive  8e  7rpo9  avTrju  ttjv  686v, 
*]mn  as  accus.  of  the  more  particular  definition  which  Lagarde 
and  Olsh.  prefer.  As  the  price  of  her  •  compliance,  she 
requires  a  kid ;  and  as  he  cannot  give  her  this  at  once,  a 
pledge,  vv.  17,  18  :  And  he  said  :  I  will  send  thee  a  kid  from 
the  flock  ;  and  she  replied :  If  thou  give  me  a  pledge  till  thou 
send  it.  And  he  said :  What  pledge  shall  I  give  thee  ?  And 
she  said :  Thy  signet  ring  and  thy  cord  and  thy  staff  that  is  in 
thy  hand.  And  he  gave  it  to  her  ajid  went  in  unto  her,  and  she 
conceived  by  him.  She  requires  as  a  price  a  kid,  the  favourite 
sacrificial  animal  of  Heta^ri  in  the  worship  of  the  goddess  of 
love  (see  Movers,  Fhonizier,  i.  680);  and  as  P";y,  a  pledge  (in 
Greek  and  Latin  a  word  borrowed  from  the  Semitic),  three 
articles  closely  connected  with  his  person,  and  therefore  making 
him  the  more  certainly  recognisable.  Judah's  signet  ring  cnin 
is  the  only  possible  but  still  uncertain  trace  of  the  use  of 
writing  in  the  patriarchal  history ;  the  verb  nna  does  not 
occur  in  Genesis,  and  nnn  in  itself  means  only  to  close,  to 


272  GENESIS  XXXVIII.  19-24. 

close  up.  The  signet  ring  was  worn  on  the  breast  (Cant. 
viii.  6)  on  a  cord  (/V^),  a  multiple  one  (whence  ver.  25  DY''ri2n, 
comp.  nntDy  of  a  multiple  crown,  Zech.  vi.  11).  The  travel- 
ling or  walking  staff  is  here  called  noo  as  distinguished  from 
the  natural  stick  bpjp  xxx.  37,  xxxii.  11  (only  accidentally 
sounding  like  haculum).  "  Every  Babylonian — says  Hero- 
dotus, i.  195 — wears  a  signet  ring  and  a  staff  cut  by  hand, 
and  on  every  staff  is  something  set  upon  the  top,  an  apple, 
or  a  rose,  or  a  lily,  or  an  eagle,  or  something  of  the  kind,  for 
no  one  may  carry  a  staff  without  a  sign."  The  Jahvist 
testifies  that  this  custom  prevailed  in  Canaan  also.  Tamar 
now  resumes  her  widow's  garments,  and  the  harlot,  whom 
Judah  causes  to  be  sought  for,  is  nowhere  to  be  found,  vv. 
19-23  :  And  she  arose,  and  went  away  and  2^ut  off  her  veil 
from  her,  and  she  put  on  the  garments  of  her  widoiohood.  And 
Judah  sent  the  kid  through  his  friend  the  Adidlamitc,  to  fetch 
the  pledge  from  the  woman's  hand,  and  he  found  her  not.  Then 
he  asked  the  men  of  her  plaee,  saying :  Where  is  the  hierodule 
that  was  at  'Enajim  hy  the  way  ?  But  they  said :  There  is  no 
hierodule  here.  And  he  returned  to  Judah  and  said :  I  have 
not  found  her  ;  and  also  the  people  of  the  i^lace  said :  There  is 
no  hierodule  here.  Then  Judah  said :  Let  her  keep  it,  that  we 
may  not  he  a  laughing-stock ;  I  sent  indeed  the  kid  and  thou 
hast  not  found  her.  The  connection  i<"'n  ^^t^"^j5^  is  like  5<in  ^y^^ 
xix.  33,  comp.  Judg.  vi.  14,  nt  ^nb  and  ""^p  nr  Ps.  Ixviii.  9. 
Instead  of  the  usual  njii  [e,g,  also  xlviii.  9),  njn  is  only  once 
written,  1  Sam.  xxi.  10.  Jerome  aptly  translates  np'npn  by 
haheat  sibi.  It  is  apparent  from  Judah's  unwillingness  to  let 
what  he  has  done  be  known,  that  he  was  ashamed  of  it.  When 
Tamar's  condition  was  manifest,  she  was  condemned  to  be 
burned,  ver.  24 :  And  it  came  to  pass  after  about  three  months, 
that  it  was  told  Judah  saying :  Thy  daughter-in-law  Tamar 
has  played  the  harlot,  and  also  she  is  with  child  in  consequence 
of  her  harlotry.  And  Judah  said :  Bring  her  forth  and  let  her 
he  lurncd.     The  D   of  c6tJ'P   is   not  preformative   (according 


GENESIS  XXXVIII.  2o,  26.  273 

to  the  formation  ""innrp,  "liop)  but  prepositional :  after  three 
months,  hence  the  same  as  t^'7t^'p ;  the  constructive  ^b^  stands 
here  with  a  masc.  as  at  Lev.  xxv.  21  with  a  fern.  It  also 
sometimes  occurs  elsewhere  that  3  stands  before  a  word 
provided  with  a  preposition;  see  Lev.  xxvi.  37,  1  Sam.  xiv. 
14,  Isa.  i.  26  and  1  Sam.  x.  27,  where  we  must  read  with 
the  LXX  i^7.np3  "a  mouth  later,"  instead  of  C'nnoa.  ^}i^ 
does  not  here  stand  first  in  the  announcement,  but  before  the 
adjective  '"TJi^,  the  point  of  gravity  of  the  announcement  (comp. 
on  the  contrary  xxii.  20).  Judah  as  the  head  of  the  family 
pronounces  the  sentence  of  death,  as  Laban  does  x:;  li.  32. 
Tamar  being  to  a  certain  extent  the  betrothed  of  Shelah,  who 
had  not  expressly  resigned  her,  lier  yielding  to  another  man  was 
regarded  as  the  unfaithfulness  of  a  bride  or  a  wife  ;  but  the 
punishment  of  death  by  burning  pronounced  upon  her  is  not 
in  accordance  with  the  Mosaic  penal  law,  which  inflicts  this 
penalty  only  upon  carnal  intercourse  with  a  mother  and  daughter 
at  the  same  time,  and  upon  unchastity  in  the  daughter  of  a 
priest.  Lev.  xx.  14,  xxi.  9.  The  capital  punishment  to  be 
inflicted  upon  the  unfaithful  wife  is  left  undetermined,  Deut. 
xxii  22,  but  seems,  like  that  of  the  newly-married  woman 
found  to  be  deflowered  and  of  the  betrothed,  who  was  proved 
unfaithful,  Deut.  xxii.  20  sq.,  23  sq.,  to  have  consisted  in 
stoning,  and  to  have  been,  according  to  Ezek.  xvi.  40,  so  also 
understood,  comp.  John  viii.  5.  Judah's  profound  confusion, 
vv.  25,  26  :  She  is  hroughi  forth,  and  at  the  same  time  she  sent 
to  her  father-in-law  saying :  Of  a  man,  to  luhom  these  things 
"belong,  am  I  v:ilh  child ;  and  she  said :  Look  carefully,  I  i^ray 
thee,  to  ivhoni  the  signet  ring  and  the  cord  and  the  staff  belong. 
Then  Judah  acknouicdgcd  and  said :  She  is  more  righteous  than 
I,  for  because  (that  it  thus  happens)  /  gave  her  not  to  my  son 
Shelah.  And  he  contimLcd  not  to  know  her  again.  The  con- 
struction 2oa  serves  to  express  what  is  contemporaneously 
done  or  experienced  by  the  same  subject,  just  as  at  1  Sam. 
ix.  11 ;  comp.  the  same  scheme  with  a  difierent  subject  in  the 

VOL.  II.  fl 


274  GENESIS  XXXVIII.  27-29. 

account  of  the  flood,  vii.  6.  On  \'^~bv  ''3,  when  we  rather 
expect  "•?  isr^y,  see  on  xviii.  5.  It  is  noble  of  Tamar  not 
to  disgrace  Judah  publicly,  and  rather  to  go  to  death 
than  at  once  to  name  him.  Judah  acknowledges  the  three 
pledges  as  his,  and,  struck  by  conscience,  confesses  that 
he  is  himself  to  blame  for  this  result  of  the  matter.^ 
This  public  confession  of  his  fault  (comp.  as  to  the  ex- 
pression that  of  King  Saul,  1  Sam.  xxiv.  18)  is  the 
first  good  trait  that  is  related  of  Judah.  There  was  no 
need  for  saying  that  now  she  was  not  burned,  though  there 
was  for  telling  us  that  Judah  left  her  in  future  unmolested. 
Tamar's  twins  by  Judah,  vv.  27-29  :  And  it  came  to  pass  at 
the  time  of  her  delivei^y,  and  hehold,  twins  were  in  her  womh ; 
and  it  came  to  ^oass,  ivhen  she  travailed,  a  hand  came  to  sight ; 
then  the  midwife  took  and  hound  upon  Ms  hand  a  scarlet  thread, 
saying  :  This  came  forth  first.  And  it  came  to  pass  as  he  drew 
hack  his  hand,  and  hehold,  his  brother  came  out,  and  she  said  : 
How  hast  thou  on  thy  part  torn  a  rent!  and  they  called  his 
name  Peres.  And  afterwards  came  his  hrothcr  forth,  on  whose 
hand  was  the  scarlet  thread,  so  they  called  his  Zerah.  The 
time  of  travail  and  the  delivery  itself,  as  the  result,  are  dis- 
tinguished. Whether  \^'^'\  is  conceived  of  with  an  indefinite 
personal  subject :  then  he  (it)  stretched  out  a  hand  (Dillm.), 
which  the  retrospective  il^'t'y  28&  seems  to  favour,  or  imper- 
sonally, then  there  was,  i.e.  appeared,  a  hand,  is  questionable ; 
the  possibility  of  this  impersonal  comprehension  is  apparent 
from  Job  xxxvii.  10,  Prov.  xiii.  10  (in  opposition  to  which 
Prov.  X.  24  may  have  to  be  read,  as  by  Hitzig,  jri.^).  It  is 
unnecessary  to  read  with  Driver  {Heh.  Tenses,  §  135.  6,  note  2) 
2"'C'n3  instead  of  ^'^'P?  ;  ^''^''?r'  as  a  definition  of  time :  as  he 
was  in  the  act  of  drawing  his  hand  back,  is  defended  by 
nnnbs  as  it  (the  vine)  was  in  the  act  of  sprouting,  xl.  10: 
n"':^'D^=TK'0  inVna  with  a  not  of  comparison  but  of  time;  in 

^  Because  this  is  to  his  honour,  this  history  is  not  only  read  in  Hebrew,  but 
also  translated  by  the  Methurgeman  Megilla  256. 


GENESIS  XXXVIII.  27-29.  275 

post-biblical  Hebrew  this  use  of  the  participle  instead  of  the 
finitum  is  of  frequent  occurrence,  e.g.  Shahhath  ii.  5  Dn3  =  Dnr'3 
when  he  spares  (comp.  Eashi  on  the  passage,  and  also  Geiger, 
SpracJie  der  Mischnah,  §  24.  2),  or:  3  is  Ccqjh  vcritatis  intro- 
ducing the  predicate :  then  he  was  (showed  himself  as)  draw- 
ing back  his  hand.  A  piece  of  wool  dyed,  not  purple  but 
scarlet,  with  the  dye  of  the  cochineal  gall-insect  coccus  cacti,  is 
here  called  V?'.  Without  some  such  external  identification 
as  that  employed  by  Tamar's  midwife,  there  is  really  no 
certain  token  by  which,  after  delivery  has  been  completed, 
the  first-born  can  be  recognised.  This  time  however  it  was 
of  no  avail,  the  turning  of  the  one  thus  marked  leaving  space  for 
the  twin  brother  to  come  forth  first.  Jerome  correctly  takes 
^vj?  in  the  exclamation  of  the  midwife  in  the  sense  ol  propter 
te  (comp.  XX.  3);  pQ  is  not  meant  of  ruptura  perinaci,  but  only 
of  a  breaking  through  by  means  of  push  upon  push ;  the 
accentuation  seems  to  take  ps  r>V  as  a  sentence  by  itself, 
as  at  xvi.  5  :  upon  thee  lies  the  fault  of  the  breach  (Heidenh. 
Eeggio) — but  what  follows  upon  no  must  be  taken  together 
as  an  exclamation  of  puzzled  astonishment.  •  The  name  n"]T  as 
well  as  ps  refers  to  something  memorable  from  birth,  the 
"  brightness "  alludes  to  the  bright-coloured  string ;  nnr,  a 
reference  to  the  word  crimson,  Aram.  ''linT,  "•"ilinr  (Ptashbam, 
Heiden.  and  others),  Assyr.  zartr  =  zahrir.  Instead  of  ^"^i?^? 
with  the  most  general  subject :  they  called,  the  Samar.  Targ. 
Jer.  I.  and  Syr.  give  both  times  ^I'v!^).. 

It  was  thus,  as  this  historic  picture  taken  entirely  from  J 
relates,  that  the  beginnings  of  the  tribe  of  Judah  were  formed 
by  a  wondrous  co-operation  of  human  sin  and  Divine  appoint- 
ment. Perez,  Zerah  and  Shelah  are  the  three  ancestors  of  the 
three  chief  families  of  the  tribe  of  Judah  at  the  departure 
from  Egypt,  Num.  xxvi.  20.  Through  Perez,  Tamar  was 
the  ancestress  of  the  first  and  of  the  second  David.  How 
homely  are  the  pictures  of  the  ancestors  of  Israel !  There  is 
almost  more  shadow  than  lis;ht  in  them.     National  ambition 


276  GENESIS  XXXIX 

played  no  part  in,  or  with  tliem.  Not  a  trace  of  mythic 
idealization  is  to  be  seen.  The  ancestors  of  Israel  do  not 
appear  as  demi-gods.  Their  elevation  consists  in  their  con- 
quering, in  virtue  of  the  measure  of  grace  bestowed  upon 
them,  or,  if  they  succumb,  in  their  ever  rising  again.  Their 
faults  are  the  foil  of  their  greatness  with  respect  to  the 
history  of  redemption.  Even  Tamar  with  all  her  errors  was, 
through  her  wisdom,  tenderness  and  noble-mindedness,  a  saint 
according  to  the  Old  Testament  standard. 

At  the  selling  of  Joseph  in  Dothan,  Judah  had  apparently 
not  yet  separated  from  his  brethren.  Hence  it  must  have 
been  after  this  event  that  he  made  common  cause  with 
Hirah  the  Adullamite.  Between  Joseph's  disappearance  and 
the  migration  of  the  family  of  Jacob  to  Egypt,  there  are,  as 
we  saw  on  ver.  3  7,  some  twenty  years.  Within  these  two-and- 
twenty  years  or  so,  was  the  history  of  Judah  and  Tamar  played 
out.  When  at  xlvi.l2  two  sons  of  Perez,  one  of  the  twin  brothers, 
are  named  among  those  who  came  into  Egypt,  these  are  great- 
grandsons  of  Jacob,  who,  though  born  in  Egypt,  are  regarded 
as  coming  into  Egypt  in  their  fathers  (see  on  xlvi.  8  sqq.). 

JOSEPH  IN  POTIPHAR'S  HOUSE  AND  IN  PPJSON,  CH,  XXXIX. 

The  history  of  Jacob  in  his  son  Judah,  related  ch. 
xxxviii.,  is  now  followed  by  the  continuation  of  his  history 
in  his  son  Joseph.  Different  hands  were  not  to  be  discerned 
in  ch.  xxxviii.,  all  was  by  J  (C),  even  without  the  intervention 
of  the  redactor.  Ch.  xxxix.,  on  the  contrary,  though  through- 
out from  J, — apart  from  xlix.  18  it  is  the  only  section  of 
Joseph's  history  in  which  the  Divine  name  nin^  appears,  and 
that  seven  times, — has  not  remained  in  the  same  manner 
intact.  It  may  be  assumed,  but  cannot  be  suihciently  proved, 
that  E  {B)  is  here  and  there  blended  with  J  {(J) ;  the  hand 
of  R  is  however  at  once  apparent  in  ver.  1,  where  the  history 
of  Joseph  is  again  taken  up  from  the  point  at  which  it  had 


GENESIS  XXXIX.  1-5.  277 

arrived  at  xxxvii.  36  :  And  Joseph  was  brought  dovm  to  Egypt  ; 
and  Potiphar,  a  court  official  of  Pharaoh,  cap)tain  of  the  guard, 
an  Egyptian  man,  bought  him  of  the  hand  of  the  Ishmaclitcs  who 
had  brought  him  down  thither.  *T]i*l  is  not  used  in  continua- 
tion, for  what  is  related  is  out  of  connection  with  ch.  xxxviii. 
The  more  particular  designation  of  the  "  Egyptian  man," 
according  to  his  name  and  dignity,  is  inserted  by  R  from 
E  in  accordance  with  xxxvii.  36  ;  for  this  writer  gave  the 
name  and  title  of  the  master  to  whom  the  "  Midianites  "  sold 
Joseph,  while  J  merely  says  that  he  who  bought  Joseph  from 
the  "  Ishmaelites "  was  an  "  Egyptian  man,"  a  distinguished 
person  and  a  man  of  property,  as  appears  from  the  account 
which  follows.  He  made  a  profitable  purchase ;  Joseph 
had  good  fortune,  and  brought  it  to  his  master,  vv,  2-5  : 
And  Jahveh  was  icith  Joseph,  and  he  was  a  prosperous  man, 
and  he  was  in  the  house  of  his  Egyptian  master.  And  his 
master  saw  that  Jahveh  was  xvith  him,  and  that  all  that 
he  undertook  Jahveh  caused  to  prosper  in  his  hand.  And 
Joseph  found  favoiir  in  his  eyes  and  served  him,  and  he  made 
him  overseer  over  his  house,  and  put  all-  that  belonged  to 
him  in  his  hand.  And  it  came  to  pass  from  tJie  time  that 
he  made  him  overseer  over  his  house  and  all  that  belonged  to 
him,  that  Jahveh  blessed  the  house  of  the  Egyptian  for  Joseph's 
sake,  and  the  blessing  of  Jahveh  was  shown  in  all  that  belonged 
to  him,  in  the  hotise  and  in  the  field.  The  second  '•pl'l  2b  is 
striking,  but  it  is,  as  ver.  20  shows,  the  style  of  J,  as  the 
expression  of  continuance  in  the  given  condition ;  xl.  4&  is 
by  reason  of  the  definition  of  time  added  to  vn""!,  not  quite 
analogous.  It  was  according  to  i^N  nin^  2>a  that  we  explained 
nin''"nK,  iv.  1,  of  helpful  support.  The  Egyptian  master  saw 
that  Jahveh  (equivalent  in  J  to  n\i^N)  was  with  him,  made 
him  his  first  servant,  and  placed  everything  under  his  eye  and 
care.  ^''"'^'^."^2,  all  belonging  to  him,  is  possible,  Ges.  §  123, 
3a,  but  the  elliptical  expression  might  rather  be  expected 
after  the  full   one  in  vv.   5,  8.     W?;?  with  a  perf.  following 


278  GENESIS  XXXIX.  6,  7. 

occurs  in  J"  at  Ex.  v.  23,  ix.  24;  7???  too  is  Jalivistic 
(xii.  13,  XXX.  27),  and  elsewhere  in  the  Pentateuch  only 
Deuteronomic  (Deut.  i.  37,  xv.  10,  xviii.  12).  Tpf^n,  praejiccre, 
is  construed  alternately  with  n  (comp.  Jer.  xli.  18)  and  ^j? 
(comp.  xli.  34).  It  is  regular  that  the  predicate  ''i}]]  in  the 
gemis  potius  should  precede  the  subject  'n  ^3"!?^  Ges.  §  147a, 
especially  in  the  case  of  \T'i,  which  corresponds  with  the  neuter 
"  there  was,  there  was  shown."  Joseph  possessed  his  master's 
fullest  confidence,  and  was  a  man  of  goodly  appearance,  ver.  6  : 
And  he  Ic/t  all  that  he  had  in  Joseph's  hand,  and  ivith  him  he 
troubled  himself  ahout  nothing  hut  the  bread  tlmt  he  ate ;  and 
Joseph  was  beautiful  in  form  and  beautiful  in  appcaranee. 
(p)  7i<t  2tj;  to  leave  (to  confide)  to  any  one,  is  said,  Job  xxxix. 
11,  14,  comp.  Isa.  x.  3,  here  with  T?  of  him  to  whom  some 
property  is  entrusted.  W5?  refers  to  Joseph.  He  let  him  take 
care  for  everything  that  another  could  take  care  for,  so  that 
nothing  was  left  but  his  eating,  which  it  was  self-evident  he 
nnist  himself  care  for.  The  young  superintendent  of  his 
house  was  factotum,  he  was  handsome  in  form  (growth)  and 
appearance  (countenance,  complexion,  hair) ;  the  narrator 
distinguishes  in  the  same  manner  i^^n  and  ns"io  xxix.  17. 
In  the  Moslem  legend  he  is  esteemed  from  this  time  forward 
as  the  ideal  of  youthful  male  beauty ;  in  Persian  figurative 
language  he  is  called  mcthi  KanCin,  the  moon  of  Canaan.  His 
master's  wife  falls  passionately  in  love  with  him,  ver.  7 :  And 
it  came  to  pass  after  these  things,  that  his  master's  wife  raised 
her  eyes  to  Joseph  and  said :  Lie  ivith  me,  I  pray  thee.  On 
bs  ti)TV  t<b':,  Assyr.  nasH  ind  ana,  see  the  discussion  in 
Luthardt's  Zeitschr.  1882,  p.  125,  and  Friedr.  Delitzsch, 
Prolegomena,'^.  48.      She  cast  upon  him  love  glances;  7^^  has 

the  same  root  as  J^j   the  association  of  love.     There  have 

been  at  all  times  and  in  all  nations  such  women  with 
adulterous  lusts,  De  Eoug^  has  given  a  similar  history  from 
the  papyrus  d'Orbiney,  which  is  written  in  hieratic  characters 


GENESIS  XXXIX.  8-12.  279 

(Ticvuc  arcMologiqiic,  9  th  year).^  Joseph  however  had  no  ear  for 
her  unchaste  proposal,  vv.  8,  9  :  BiU  he  refused,  and  said  unto  his 
masters  v:ife :  Beliold,  my  master  cares  with  me  for  nothing  in  the 
house,  and  all  tliai  belongs  to  him  lias  lie  given  into  my  hand.  He 
is  not  greater  in  this  house  than  I,  and  lie  has  ivithholdcn  nothing 
from  me  hut  only  thee,  because  thou  art  his  tvife,  and  how  should 
I  do  such  great  wickedness  and  sin  against  God  I  The  relator 
does  not  say  nnx  vo,  but,  which  better  expresses  the  act  of 
self-control,  W?'^,  (Pieggio).  After  the  preceding  vb,  no  8a 
means  quidquam,  as  at  Prov.  ix.  13;  the  more  emphatic 
expression  for  it  is  riD^SJp  9a  (the  French  ;poini).  If  we  had 
r^  instead  of  ^33''Nt  9«,  this  would  state :  there  is  none  greater 
in  this  house  than  I ;  ^^.^"'X  has  a  personal  subject :  he  is  not 
greater  in  this  house  than  I,  i,e.  he  has  placed  me  on  a  level 
with  himself  (comp.  on  Eccles.  vi.  2,  where  the  case  is  similar). 
The  confirming  ""^'^^3  (quoniam,  since)  occurs  in  the  Pentateuch 
only  here  and  ver.  23.  That  which  is  repugnant  is  also 
rejected  with  'iI''^?  at  xliv.  8,  34,  Ps.  cxxxvii,  4.  Joseph  recog- 
nises the  inviolability  of  marriage,  and  recoils  from  such  faith- 
less ingratitude  towards  his  master.  A  last  but  unsuccessful 
attempt  to  seduce  him,  vv.  10-12  :  A7id  it  came  to  pass,  as 
she  persuaded  Joseph  day  by  day  and  lie  hearlccned  not  to  her,  to 
lie  by  her,  or  to  be  with  her,  then  it  came  to  pass,  about  tlie  same 
time,  that  he  came  in  to  do  his  work,  and  tliere  were  none  of  the 
men  of  the  house  within,  that  she  caught  him  by  the  garment 
saying :  Lie  with  me  ;  but  he  left  his  garment  in  her  hand  and 
fled  and  went  out.  H^V  ^'^'"'J?  used  in  the  sexual  meaning  of 
GwekOelv,  avvelvai,  avvovcria,  is  perhaps  from  E,  where  what 
the  woman  desired  might  have  been  so  expressed.  Besides 
n^n  DV3  L  20,  nrn  Di'ns  occurs  elsewhere  also,  e.g.  Deut. 
vi.  24,  comp,  ii.  30 :  about  this  day,  i.e.  this  time.  His  not 
snatching  the  garment  out  of  her  hands  arose  from  respect, 

^  In  the  Moslem  legend  it  has  grown  into  the  sentimental  loves  of  Jusuf  and 
Sukilia  ;  see  the  Hungarian  work  of  E.  Neumann,  A  Mohammedan  Jozef-moiida 
(Buda-Pesth  1881). 


280  GENESIS  XXXIX.  13-19. 

and  his  fleeing  was  a  flight  from  temptation,  lest  he  should 
succumb  to  it.  "^n^?!?  11a  being  meant  of  the  inner  part  of 
the  house,  nv^nn  must  certainly  be  understood  not  of  the  street 
outside  the  house,  but  of  the  more  external  part  of  the  house 
itself;  nevertheless,  since  i"i??  is  meant  of  the  upper  garment, 
we  may  also  think  of  flight  into  the  open  air.  The  revenge 
of  the  rejected,  vv.  13-15  :  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  she  saw 
that  he  had  left  his  garment  in  her  hand  and  Jled  out,  that  she 
called  the  men  of  the  house  and  said  to  them  thus :  See,  he  has 
hrought  in  unto  us  a  Hebrew  man  to  m.och  us;  he  came  in 
unto  me  to  lie  with  me,  and  I  cried  out  loith  a  loud  voice.  And 
it  came  to  pass,  when  he  heard  that  I  lifted  up  my  voice  and 
cried  out,  that  he  left  his  garment  with  me  and  fed  and  went 
out  That  she  does  not  give  the  man  his  proper  name,  but 
says  "  he,"  is  a  characteristic  trait.  A  "  Hebrew  man  "  was, 
according  to  xliii.  32,  xlvi.  34,  no  epitheton  ornans  in  anti- 
Semitic  Egypt.  In  12^  she  comprises  herself  and  the  house- 
hold, especially  the  females ;  "  he  "  seems,  by  having  brought 
this  foreigner  into  the  house,  to  have  intended  to  risk  their 
honour.  It  is  with  the  design  of  not  betraying  the  true  state 
of  affairs  that  she  does  not  say :  he  left  his  garment  ''']\'^, 
but  vV^.  Having  thus  gained  over  the  household,  who  would 
certainly  not  be  inclined  towards  the  favoured  foreigner  and 
strict  overseer,  she  preserves  the  means  of  proof  for  the 
purpose  of  exciting  her  husband  against  Joseph,  vv.  16-19  : 
And  she  let  his  garment  lie  hy  her  until  his  master  came 
in,  and  she  spake  to  him  just  such  words,  saying :  The 
Hebrew  slave,  ivhom  thou  hroughtcst  to  us,  came  in  unto  me 
to  mock  me.  And  it  came  to  pass,  ivhen  I  lifted  up  my  voice 
and  cried,  that  he  left  his  garment  near  me  and  fled  out. 
And  it  came  to  pass,  lohen  the  master  heard  the  words  of  his 
own  wife,  which  she  spake  to  him,  saying :  Such  and  such  things 
did  thy  slave  unto  one,  that  his  wrath  was  kindled.  The 
narrator  transfers  himself  to  the  standpoint  of  the  wife,  when 
he  says :  she  waited  till  his  (Joseph's)  master  came,  not :  till 


GENESIS  XXXIX.  20-23.  281 

her  husband  and  still  less  her  lord  came,  for  petticoat  govern- 
ment was  indigenous  in  Egypt,  Diodor.  i.  27.  n?xn  D''"}3'n3 
11  a,  pointing  backwards,  as  at  xxiv.  28,  xliv.  7,  means  "such 
words ; "  here,  according  to  the  context,  what  was  said  having 
Ijeen  already  repeated,  "just  such  words."  In  19a  the  use  is 
somewhat  different,  the  formula  there  meaning  "  such  things," 
as  at  1  Sam.  ii.  23  ;  in  Hebrew  diction  the  notions  word  and 
thing  are  both  included  in  121.  Joseph's  master  was  angry ; 
the  marriage  laws  of  Egypt  were,  as  Diodor.  i.  78  says,  severe ; 
he  did  not  however  inflict  their  heaviest  penalty  on  Joseph ; 
his  anger  would  certainly  be  more  excited  by  the  vexatious 
nature  of  the  occurrence,  since  he  would  hardly  regard  his  wife 
as  truth  itself,  ver.  20  :  And  Joseph's  master  took  him  and  put 
him  into  the  p^iblic  prison,  the  place  where  the  Icing's  prisoners 
v:ere  imprisoned,  and  he  remained  there  in  the  prison,  properly 
the  house  of  the  enclosure  (-innn  JT'n,  as  Hebraeo-Sam.  reads), 
not:  of  confinement  (as  though  "inD="iJD,  ^^fs>-->  whence  sign, 
dungeon) ;  the  prison-house  is  thus  called  as  being  a  fortress 
surrounded  with  a  wall  (Syr.  sahretha) — a  designation  which 
occurs  (instead  of  li^^]  JT'a  or  D''7iDxn  JT'a)  only  in  the  history 
of  Joseph  and  in  J.  According  to  this  narrator,  Joseph's 
master  is  a  wealthy  private  man,  who  is  left  unnamed,  and 
he  consigns  Joseph  to  prison  from  his  own  house  ;  while 
according  to  E  he,  viz.  Potiphar,  is  captain  of  the  body- 
guard and  has  his  official  residence  in  the  State  prison.  The 
addition  D^"iiDX  7]^»3n  (^TP^)  '"iiDi<"it:''x  {=uv  -l:^•x  .  .  xl.  3,  as  at 
XXXV.  13,  comp.  on  Dipp  Ges.  §  11  G.  2)  helps  to  accommodate 
the  two  accounts.  Joseph's  prosperity  in  the  prison,  vv. 
21-23  :  And  Jahveh  ivas  with  Joseph  and  shoiced  him  favour, 
and  worked  him  favour  in  the  eyes  of  the  keeper  of  the  prison. 
And  the  captain  of  the  prison  delivered  into  Joseph's  hand  all 
the  prisoners  that  were  in  the  public  prison,  and  everything  that 
had  to  he  done  there  was  done  hy  him.  The  captain  of  the 
prison  looked  after  nothing  in  his  hand,  because  Jahveh  was 
with  him,  and  whatever  he  undertook  Jahveh  made  to  prosper. 


282  GENESIS  XL. 

The  expression  'TV,'^  ^3n  ]n'i  is  like  Ex.  iii.  21,  xi.  3,  xii.  36. 
To  Q"'i^'y  must  be  added  in  thought  the  most  general  subject, 
as  at  Isa.  xxxii.  12  (Driver,  Hehxw  Tenses,  §  135.  6) :  every- 
thing that  they  had  to  do  there,  he  did,  i.e.  it  was  done  by  his 
orders  and  under  his  supervision.  The  enhancement  n^iN0"p3 
is  found  only  here  ;  nx"i  with  the  accusative  means  to  see  after 
anything,  to  make  it  one's  business :  the  captain  did  not 
trouble  himself  about  anything  that  was  in  his  (Joseph's) 
hand,  he  left  him  a  free  hand,  he  trusted  him  blindly. 
The  concluding  words  are,  as  it  were,  like  the  refrain  to 
ver.  2  sq. 


THE  DEEAJVIS  OF  THE  TWO  STATE  PRISONERS,  AND  JOSEPH  S 
INTERPRETATION,  CH.  XL. 

From  ch.  xx.,  the  model  portion  for  E  {B),  onwards,  this 
narrator  appears  pre-eminently  as  the  writer,  from  whom 
proceeds  an  account  of  the  impulse  given  to  the  course  of 
history  by  dreams.  This  already  makes  it  probable  that  the 
narrative,  which  now  follows,  is  chiefly  derived  from  this 
source.  To  this  leads  also,  in  relation  to  xxxvii.  28a  (down 
to  "nnrrp),  the  statement  of  Joseph,  "  I  was  stolen  out  of  the 
land  of  the  Hebrews,"  and  the  statement  found  in  xl.  3  in  its 
variation  from  J  {(J),  who  makes  Joseph's  master  deliver  him 
up  to  the  "luEi^  ri''3,  outside  his  house.  But  apart  from  the 
harmonistic  additions  in  vv.  3,  5,  15,  according  to  which 
Joseph  was  put  in  the  prison  before  the  two  officers  of 
Pharaoh,  J  may  be  recognised  by  the  style  at  xl.  1,  comp. 
xxii.  1  and  xl.  10  rinnb3,  comp.  xxxviii.  29.  It  seems  to  be 
J  himself  who  is  here  relating  after  E. 

Here  for  the  first  time  we  meet  with  the  intervention  of 
the  king  of  Egypt  in  the  history,  and  the  question  arises, 
whether  this  Pharaoh  belongs  to  a  national  Egyptian  dynasty, 
or  to  one  of  the  three  Hyksos  dynasties — the  first  having 
the  names  of  six  kings — which,  according  to  Manetho,  pre- 


GENESIS  XL.  283 

ceded  the  eighteen  native  dynasties.  The  Ilyksos — says  an 
extract  in  Josephus,  c.  Ap.  1.  14,  from  Manetho's  Egyptian 
history — invading  Egypt  from  the  East,  subjected  it,  ruled  it 
for  511  years,  and  receiving  free  egress,  after  being  at  length 
conquered  by  Misphragmuthosis  and  besieged  by  his  son 
Tethmosis  in  Avaris  (the  border  fortress  erected  in  the  east 
against  the  Assyrians),  marched  through  the  desert  towards 
Syria,  and,  not  daring  to  advance  as  far  as  Syria  from  fear  of 
the  Assyrians,  who  then  ruled  over  Asia,  founded  Jerusalem 
in  Judaea.  The  name  TKHfl^,  says  Josephus,  means,  accord- 
ing to  Manetho,  ^aat\et<i  7roifiev€<i,  or,  according  to  another 
copy  of  the  historical  work,  al-^fiaXcoroL  irotixeve^.  Both 
explanations  are  linguistically  legitimate,  for  sasu  is  the 
hieroglyphic  name  of  a  brave  pastoral  people  involved  in 
many  ways  with  Egypt,  and  Ids  means  in  Koptic  (as  in  the 
common  tongue)  shepherd,  while  hah  (often  with  the  addition 
of  the  vowel  a,  and  often  also  with  the  determinative  of  a 
sitting  figure  of  a  king)  means  in  the  monumental  language 
prince  (chief),  and  written  with  other  hieroglyphics  it  means 
also  prisoner  {DMZ.  xxxL  453),  like  the  Koptic  hole,  to  sur- 
round ;  heh,  surrounded.  Julius  Africauus  has,  instead  of  511 
years  for  the  total  duration  of  the  three  Hyksos  dynasties 
(the  first  of  which  is  stated  by  Josephus  to  have  lasted 
259  years  10  months),  284  +  518  +  151,  hence  nearly  1000 
years.  Another  fragment  in  Josephus,  c.  Ap.  i.  26  sq.,  relates 
that  the  lepers  of  Egypt  being  removed  by  Amenophis  to  the 
city  of  Avaris,  where  the  Hyksos,  driven  away  by  Tethmosis, 
had  dwelt  393  years  before,  rose  up,  under  the  Heliopolitan 
priest  Osarsiph,  afterwards  called  Moses,  against  the  king,  and 
after  practising,  with  the  help  of  the  Solymitan  Hyksos,  whose 
aid  they  had  invoked,  all  kinds  of  cruelties  and  abominable 
profanations  of  holy  things,  were  at  last,  after  the  thirteen  pre- 
dicted years  of  their  rule  over  Egypt  had  expired,  expelled  from 
Egypt  to  the  borders  of  Syria  by  Amenophis,  wlio  had  fled 
from  them  to  Ethiopia  and  his  son  Sethon-Eamses.     Manetho 


284  GENESIS  XL. 

himself  says  (as  Josephus  twice  brings  forward)  tliat  this 
secoud  narrative  is  derived  not  from  original  Egyptian  sources, 
but  e'/c  T&jy  dSecr7rcT&)9  fjivdoXoyovfjiivcov.  Other  authors  give  still 
more  confused  accounts  :  Chreremon  (Joseph.  c.Ap.  1.  32),  that 
the  unclean,  who  were  expelled  from  the  country  by  Ameno- 
phis,  led  by  Tisithen- Moses  and  Peteseph- Joseph,  joined 
themselves  with  those  in  Pelusiura,  and  forced  Amenophis  to 
flee  to  Ethiopia,  until  his  son  Eamesses  drove  them,  the  Jews, 
to  Syria.  Lysimachus  {id.  34),  that  under  the  Egyptian  king 
Bokchoris,  the  lepers  and  those  who  had  scabies  among  the 
Jewish  people  were  drowned,  and  that  the  rest  of  this  un- 
godly multitude,  being  cast  out  into  the  wilderness,  went 
on  to  'Iep6(Tv\a  (city  of  the  sacrilegious),  afterwards  called 
'lepocroXvfxa,  burning  and  plundering  on  the  way.  Justin 
{Rist.  xxxvi.  2,  comp.  Fompeji  Trogi  Fragm.  ed.  Bialowsky, 
p.  32),  who  takes  Moses  for  the  son  of  Joseph,  says :  Acgyptii 
guum  scahiem  et  vitiliginem  paterentur,  responso  moniti  eum  cum 
cegris,  ne  pcstis  ad  plurcs  serperet,  terminis  Acgypti  pellunt. 
Bxvx,  igitur  exsidum  f actus  sacra  Acgyptiorum  fiirto  alstidit,  qucc 
repctcntcs  armis  Acgyptii  domum  rcdire  tempcstatibus  compulsi 
sunt ;  Tacitus  [ITist.  v.  2) :  Stint  qui  tradunt,  Assyrios  con- 
venas,  indignuni  agrorum  piopidum,  parte  Acgypti  potitos  mox 
propdas  urhcs  Hchracasquc  terras  ct  propria  Syriae  coluissc. 
Hence  w^e  are  obviously  to  regard  the  Hyksos  and  Israelites 
as  one  people.  Josephus  boasts  of  their  being  his  ancestors. 
H.  Grotius,  Herm.  Witsius,  Basnage,  Perizonius  and  others  are 
on  his  side.  Hofmann  in  an  article  "  Unter  welcher  Dynastie 
haben  die  Israeliten  ^gypten  verlassen "  (in  Studien  u. 
Kritikcn,  1839),  and  in  his  letter  to  Bockh  on  Egyptian  and 
Israelite  chronology  (1847),  has  tried  to  show,  that  the  Hyksos 
were  the  Israelites,  transformed  by  Egyptian  vanity  into  a 
conquering  nation.  But  many  ancient  investigators,  such  as 
Cuneeus,  Scaliger,  Pezronius,  Bochart,  Marsham,  Jas.  Usher, 
Frider.  Spanhemius,  already  perceived  that  this  view  was  un- 
tenable ;  and  now  the  view  of  Ewald,  that  the  Hyksos  were 


GENESIS  XL.  285 

Hebrew  tribes  who  penetrated  into  Egypt  before  the  Israelite 
migration,  may  be  regarded  as  generally  prevailing.  Tiie 
papyrus  Sallier  I.  (in  Ebers,  pp.  204-206)  confirms  this 
episode  of  foreign  usurpation.  The  worship  of  Sutcch  (Set), 
which  has  since  prevailed,  and  the  horse  which  has  since 
become  native  in  Egypt,  are  characteristic.  But  while  the 
combination  of  the  Hyksos  with  Israel  has  failed,  it  is  on  the 
other  hand  almost  universally  acknowledged,  that  the  lepers 
who,  according  to  Manetho's  second  account,  dwelt  for  a  time 
with  the  Hyksos,  were  the  Israelites.  This  view  also  has 
ancient  advocates,  and  reaches  back — as  may  be  inferred  from 
the  narrative  of  Hecatoeus  of  Abdera  in  Diodor.  xL  3,  comp. 
xxxiv.  (ed.  Bekk.) — to  the  early  time  of  the  Ptolemies.  Schiller 
in  his  Scndung  Mosis  states  it,  but  without  considering  that 
the  dark  colour  of  the  tradition  must  be  for  the  most  part  laid 
to  the  account  of  Egyptian  national  hatred.  We  have  accord- 
ingly to  distinguish  between  two  expulsions  of  foreigners  from 
Egypt  :  the  casting  off  of  the  yoke  of  Phcenician  or  Arabic 
conquering  invaders  by  a  sovereign  of  the  I7th  or  18th 
Dynasty,  according  to  Wiedemann,  Amosis.  (Ahmes),  father 
of  Amenophis  I.,  and  the  Israelite  exodus,  represented  as  the 
removal  from  the  country  of'  a  people  who  defiled  it,  under 
IMenephthes  (Merneptah,  lower  Egyptian  Merncphtah),  son  of 
Ramses  II.  Miamun  of  the  19  th  Dynasty.  The  capital  of 
the  kingdom  in  the  time  of  this  pair  of  rulers  was  Thebes  in 
Upper  Egypt,  the  home  of  the  dynasty ;  but  they  resided  in 
Tanis,  the  ancient  capital  of  the  Hyksos  in  the  eastern  Delta, 
the  chief  place  of  the  worship  of  Set,  after  whom  the  father 
of  Ramses  II.  was  called  Seti.  The  period  of  the  Hyksos  was 
then  long  past.  But  was  the  king  under  whom  Joseph  came 
into  Egypt  one  of  the  Hyksos  or  not  ?  Greek  chronographists 
and  Barhebraeus  call  him  Apophis  (Apepi),  a  king  of  the 
loth  Manethonian,  the  1st  Hyksos  Dynasty.  Wiedemann 
in  his  Egyptian  history,  1884,  advocates  the  view  that  the 
Pharaoh  of  Joseph  was  a  Hyksos,  but  a  later  one  than  this 


286  GENESIS  XL. 

first  Apepi.  So  too  Dillm.,  who  says  that  Joseph's  elevation 
took  place  in  the  Hyksos  period,  not  in  the  time  of  their  first 
impetuous  eruption,  but  when  they  had  become  Egyptianized.^ 
But  apart  from  the  fact  that  the  rule  of  the  Hyksos  is  a  still 
indefinable,  confused  and  indistinct  matter  {DMZ.  xxxix.  148), 
the  view,  that  the  Hyksos  ruled  in  Egypt  from  Joseph  to  Moses, 
is  opposed  by  the  one  grave  objection,  that  the  people  of  Egypt, 
to  whom  Israel  was  in  bondage,  appears  throughout  the  Old 
Testament  Scriptures  as  a  foreign,  and  by  no  means  kindred 
race,  and  that  the  aim  of  the  migration  of  the  house  of  Jacob 
to  Egypt,  viz.  to  grow  up  into  a  nation  far  from  the  danger 
of  intermixture,  excludes  identity  of  origin. 

It  is  striking  that  in  the  first  account  of  Manetho  in 
Josephus,  the  first  king  whom  tlie  Hyksos  elected  from 
among  them  is  called  Salatis  (as  also  ^acrrjt;,  a(f  ov  koI  6 
^atTr]<i  vofji6<;,  regarded  by  Afric,  Euseb.  and  the  school  of 
Plato  as  an  objectionable  various  reading),  and  that  at 
xlii.  6  it  is  said  of  Joseph  (the  all  but  sovereign  of  Egypt, 
see  Artapanus  in  Euseb.  Fraep.  ix.  23) :  tS^^K'n  SU  f\DV^ 
pxn-py.  These  and  other  combinations,  as  'TKam  and 
n;po  ^t:'"3S  xlvi.  34  (xlvii.  6),  "A/3api<;  or  Avapt<i  (Hyksos 
fortress)  and  D''"1?V  "'"'i'  (xl.  15),  are  however  but  igncs  fatui. 
How  very  much  we  are  groping  in  the  dark  with  respect  to 
the  organization  of  the  Hyksos  sovereignty,  and  Israel's 
sojourn  in  and  exodus  from  Egypt,  is  shown  by  Kohler's 
examination  of  the  matter  in  his  History  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, i.  237-245.  He  finally  considers  it  most  probable 
that  the  migration  of  Israel  must  be  placed  before  the 
invasion  of  the  Hyksos,  the  Hyksos  rule  limited  to  a  period 
of  between  two  and  three  hundred  years,  and  the  exodus 
dated  after  the  expulsion  of  the  Hyksos,  perhaps  the  middle 
of  the  18  th  Dynasty. 

^  V.  Strauss-Torney  in  his  article,  "  Israel  von  Joseph  bis  Mose  nach  agyp. 
Quellen,"  in  the  Conserv.  Monatsschrift  for  1880.  places  the  immigration  in  the 
year  1944/3  under  the  Hyksos-Pharaoh  Archies  (Aseth). 


GENESIS  XL,  1-4.  287 

Offences  of  riiaraoh's  cup-bearer  and  baker  bring  tlieni 
both  into  the  prison  with  Joseph,  vv.  1—3  :  And  it  came  to 
2mss  after  these  things,  the  cup-hearer  and  laker  of  the  king 
of  Egypt  offended  their  lord  the  king  of  Egypt,  and  Pharaoh 
vjos  loroth  with  his  two  courtiers,  ivith  the  chief  of  the  cup- 
hearers  and  the  chief  of  the  hakers,  and  he  gave  them  into 
the  custody  of  the  house  of  the  chief  of  the  hody-guard  in  the 
prison,  the  place  where  Joseph  was  imprisoned.  The  cir- 
cumstantiality of  the  narrative  shows  that  two  accounts  are 
here  interwoven,  with  a  careful  preservation  of  their  words, 
notwithstanding  the  tautology  thence  arising.  The  main 
fact  which  follows  in  ^'ifp^  is  introduced  by  ''n^l ;  the  accessory 
fact  precedes  in  the  circumstantializing  perf.  ^^pn,  as  at 
Ex.  xvi.  22,  Deut.  ix.  11  sq.,  Jer.  xxxvi.  16,  Ezek,  i.  1, 
though  l^^t^n  may  also,  according  to  the  scheme  xiv.  1  (see 
there),  be  regarded  as  the  main  fact  at  which  ""nil  aims. 
pjVp  is  the  usual  word  for  the  anger  of  high-placed  personages, 
e.g.  Esth.  i.  21,  1  Sam.  xxix.  4.  The  Kametz  of  D^np  (see  on 
xxxvii.  36)  is  treated  as  immutable  in  Vp''ip  as  in  ''p^ip, 
Esth.  ii.  21,  corap.  '')f"'")3  Dan.  xi.  14,  and  on  the  other 
hand  as  mutable  in  ''D^IP  7a  (as  in  onp^  xxxvii.  36,  comp. 
r"}S  Isa.  XXXV.  9).  The  captain  of  the  body-guard  (execu- 
tioners) dwelt,  as  w^e  are  here  told,  in  the  prison  building, 
which  was  under  his  charge,  and  he  gave  the  two  aristocratic 
prisoners  to  his  slave  Joseph  to  wait  upon,  ver.  4  :  And  the 
captain  of  the  guard  gave  them  into  the  charge  of  Joseph,  loho 
ministered  to  them,  and  they  remained  some  time  in  custody. 
As  the  accounts  are  before  us  for  their  mutual  completion, 
the  "inon  n^a  nc'  xxxix.  21-23  is  the  subordinate  officer  of 
the  chief  commander  of  the  executive,  and  the  latter,  the 
master  of  Joseph,  disposes,  in  virtue  of  his  right  of  possession, 
of  those  consigned  to  prison,  and  placed  under  the  oversight 
of  the  keeper.  Whether  and  in  what  connection  the  imprison- 
ment of  Joseph  himself  was  related  by  E,  must  be  left 
unsettled.      D''p^  designates  a  lengthy  period,  as  an  indefinite 


288  GENESIS  XL.  5-8. 

number  of  days,  iv.  3,  Neli.  i.  4,  Dan.  viii.  27,  comp.  1  Sam. 
xxix.  3.  We  now  see  how  Josepli  preserved  his  undaunted 
character  in  a  prison  also,  and  how,  as  the  reward  of  his 
fidehty,  the  wisdom  of  a  prophetic  spirit  was  implanted  in 
his  pure  soul  (Wisd.  i.  4).  He  finds  his  two  fellow-prisoners 
depressed  on  account  of  their  dreams,  which  they  are  unable 
to  interpret,  and  gets  them  to  relate  them,  vv.  5—8  :  Aoid 
both  dreamed  a  dream,  each  his  dream  in  one  and  the  same 
night,  each  according  to  the  interpretatio7i  of  his  dream,  the 
cup-bearer  and  the  haker  of  the  king  of  Egypt,  who  were 
imprisoned  in  the  prison.  And  Joseph  ivent  in  unto  them 
in  the  morning,  and  saw  them,  and  behold  they  were  sad. 
llien  he  ashed  the  courtiers  of  Pharaoh,  which  were  with  him 
in  the  custody  of  his  master,  saying :  Why  are  your  coun- 
tenances sad  to-day  ?  And  they  said  to  him :  We  have 
dreamed  a  dream,  and  tlicre  is  no  one  to  interpret  it  to  us; 
and  Joseph  said  to  them :  Are  not  interpretations  God's  ^ 
Tell  it,  I  pray  you,  to  me.  It  is  seeking  for  difficulties 
where  there  are  none  to  take  on^JC'  Dipn  genitively,  somnium 
amborum  (Eeggio) ;  Cii?n^  formed  according  to  "li'^H,  '^i^i,  "liNU*^ 
is  not  a  connective  form,  but  is  here  the  ace.  object  governed 
by  ^»?nn  (an  accessory  form  to  l^r'O!^  Ges.  §  63.  2)  ; 
jiina  (explanation  interpretation  from  nns,  Xi)  combines  the 
notions  of  interpretation  and  meaning.  Their  saying :  we 
have  dreamed  a  dream  (not :  dreams),  seems  to  proceed  from 
their  thinking  that  their  dreams,  which  they  had  related  to 
each  other,  were  essentially  identical.  And  with  the  com- 
plaint ink  s:  iribi  is  certainly  combined  the  afterthought, 
that  as  prisoners  they  could  not  apply  to  the  Q"'?^"!'^-  Joseph 
however  directs  them  from  men  to  God,  "  interpretations  are 
God's,"  i.e.  His  affair  and  gift,  and  by  requesting  them  to 
tell  them  to  him,  he  puts  it  before  them  as  possible  that 
God  will  not  withhold  from  him  the  ability  which  comes 
from  Him  alone.  Here  too  the  circumstantial  character  of 
the  narrative  manifests  different  hands.     The  dream  of  the 


GENESIS  XL.  9-15.  289 

cup-bearer,  vv.  9-11:  And  the  chief  of  the  cup-hearers  told 
Joseph  his  dream,  and  said :  In  my  dream,  behold  I  had  a 
vine  before  me.  And  in  the  vine  were  three  branches,  and 
while  it  was  sprouting,  its  blossom  also  already  shot  forth,  its 
clusters  of  blossom  ripened  to  grapes.  And  PharaolCs  cup 
was  in  my  hand,  and  I  took  the  grapes  and  ptrcsscd  them, 
and  handed  the  cup  into  Pharaoh's  hand.  On  nrn_b3  for 
nnnb  nnrnSj  see  on  xxxviii.  29.  Sprouting,  blooming  and 
ripening  coincided  in  a  manner  significant  of  the  immediate 
fulfilment  of  what  the  dream  imagery  indicated,  i^)*?  sounds 
like  an  inflection  of  X^.,  which  in  the  meaning  blossom  is 
warranted  by  Mishnic  Hebrew  (see  Levy),  but  the  construction 
with  nnpy  shows  that  it  is  intended  as  an  abbreviated 
nm*:,  as  at  '^SS  Prov.  vii,  8  =  ^ri33;  see  on  the  abbreviation 
with  an  added  suffix  the  comm.  on  Ps.  xxvii.  5  (4th  edit.  p. 
260).  Viticulture,  said  to  be  derived  from  Osiris,  was,  as  is 
evident  from  Ps.  Ixxviii.  47,  cv.  33,  comp.  Num.  xx.  5,  already 
well  known  in  Egypt  from  the  times  of  the  ancient  kingdom, 
and  the  statement  of  Herodotus,  ii.  77,  must  be  limited 
accordingly.  Strabo,  Athenaeus  and  Pliny  describe  the 
various  wines  and  wine  lands  of  Egypt.  Nor  is  it  true 
that,  in  the  time  of  Psammetichus  only,  new  must  was  drunk 
and  fermented  wine  forbidden.  Plutarch,  dc  Iside,  c.  vi.,  tells 
us  the  contrary.  The  people  drank  wine  without  restriction  ; 
the  kings,  as  being  also  priests,  only  so  much  as  the  sacred 
writings  allowed,  but  after  Psammetichus  this  restriction 
ceased.  The  ancient  monuments  show  us  all  kinds  of 
utensils  used  in  wine  -  making,  busy  grape  -  treaders,  sleepy 
tipplers,  even  drunken  women  {DMZ.  xxx.  407).  Ebers  sees 
in  the  pressed  juice  of  the  grape,  which  the  cup-bearer  hands 
to  the  king,  a  kind  of  cooling  drink;  this  feature  in  the  picture 
however  has  in  itself  no  significance,  but  naturally  resulted 
from  the  entire  symbolism  of  the  dream.  Joseph's  interpre- 
tation, vv.  12-15:   Then  Joseph  said  unto  him:    This  is  its 

interpretation  :   The  three  branches  arc  three  days.     In  yet  three 
VOL.  IL  T 


290  GENESIS  XL.  12-15. 

days  luill  Pharaoh  lift  up  thine  head  and  restore  thee  to  thine 
office,  and  thou  shalt  give  Pharaoh's  cup  into  Ids  hand  according 
to  the  former  manner,  when  thou  tvast  his  cup-hearer.  Only 
niayest  thou  keep  me  in  thy  rememhranee  when  it  is  ivell  with 
thee,  and  do  kindness,  I  ]jray  thee,  to  me,  and  make  mention  of 
me  to  Pharaoh,  and  bring  me  out  of  this  house.  For  Iivas  stolen 
aivay  out  of  the  land  of  the  Hehrews,  and  here  also  have  I  done 
nothing  that  they  should  put  me  into  the  dungeon.  "  To  lift  up 
the  head  of  any  one  "  is  also  used  at  2  Kings  xxv.  27  of  release 
from  prison  and  rehabilitation  ;  in  Assyr.  also  ullu  resu  =  to 
bring  to  honour  (Friedr.  Delitzsch,  Prolcg.  155).  it:*X,  which 
xxxix.  20  meant  "where"  of  place,  here  means  "  when "  of 
time,  as  e.g.  also  at  2  Sam.  xix.  25.  The  restriction  with 
"□X  "'3  (always  with  the  QX  makkephed,  except  in  the  three 
passages,  xv.  4,  Num.  xxxv.  33,  Neh.  ii.  2,  where  ''D  has 
Makkeph)  is  like  fiovov  ha  Gal.  ii.  10.  nx  '•3  is  here  also,  as 
at  Micah  vi.  8,  Job  xlii.  8,  the  confirmation  of  an  implied 
negative  sentence  :  I  ask  of  thee  nothing  but  that  thou  mayest 
(only  that  thou  mayest).  Driver,  §  119S,  stumbles  at  this 
modal  sense  of  the  perfect ;  but  if  something  future  has  pre- 
ceded, the  perfect  following  ds  ""^  shares  in  the  reference  to 
the  future,  without  dn  ^3  interrupting  the  otherwise  regular 
consecutio  temporum,  2  Sam.  v.  6  (where  we  must  translate 
imo  abigent  te),  2  Kings  xxiii.  9.  Hence  the  alteration  of  ''3 
into  IS  (Wellh.  Driver)  is  syntactically  unnecessary  and  not 
really  preferable  ;  for  with  this  verumtamen  si  memineris  "  "i3T 
is  placed  under  conditions,  while  Joseph  evidently  means  to 
entreat  it "  (Dillm.).  He  calls  the  land  of  Canaan  D'l^i''^  V}^, 
so  as  at  the  same  time  to  state  his  nationality.  He  was  able  to 
call  it  this  as  the  land  where  Abraham  the  Ibri  (xiv.  13)  and 
his  descendants  had  dwelt.^  And  though  he  says  he  was  stolen 
away  (after  xxxvii.  28a),  not  sold  (xxxvii.  28?>),  he  was  still 
the  victim  of  a  crime  which  his  brothers  perpetrated  on  him  ; 

1  See   Herm.   Witsius'    (+   1708)   remarks   on   the   subject   in   S.  J.   Curtis' 
'  Sketches,"  Bihliotheca  sacra,  1885,  p.  318  sq. 


GENESIS  XL.  16-10.  291 

but  concerning  this  he  is  purposely  silent.  In  the  account  of 
his  brothers'  revenge,  ch.  xxxvii.,  the  stone-lined  rain-water 
pit,  into  which  Joseph  was  cast,  was  called  "ii3  by  both  narrators. 
Such  pits  were  elsewhere  also  used  as  dungeons,  on  which 
account  ^n  became,  as  here,  the  general  name  for  a  dungeon 
or  a  vault  serving  as  a  prison. 

The  dream  of  the  baker,  vv,  16,  17:  A^id  tJie  chief  baker 
saw  that  the  interpretation  was  good,  he  said  to  Joseph  :  I  too  in 
my  dream — and  behold  three  baskets  of  white  bread  upon  my 
head,  and  in  the  uppermost  basket  all  kinds  of  food  of  PJiaraoh's 
bakers  work,  and  the  birds  ate  it  out  of  the  basket  upon  my  head. 
He  means  to  say  :  I  also  saw  a  like  thing  in  my  dream,  but 
immediately  starts  off  to  relate  this  like  thing.  To  carry 
a  basket  on  the  head  was  the  custom  of  Egyptian  men 
(Herod,  ii.  35),  especially,  as  the  monuments  show,  of 
bakers.^  Onkelos  mistakenly  translates  ""in  ''?p  as  ^ini  ppp^ 
baskets  of  the  nobility,  i.e.  with  fine  bread  ;  Eashi  and  others  : 
broken  baskets,  baskets  with  holes  in  them ;  but  ''in  is 
an   adj.  rel.   (from    "i^n^    akin    to    i^in  "nn  candere,   and  tlien 

candium  esse)  and  means  like  ^J^^  white  or  fine  flour  and 
bread  made  of  it  (comp.  ''lin  white  cloth,  Isa.  xix.  9,  and  _>  .^ 
silk  as  dazzlingly  white).  Targ.  Jer.  correctly  has  X,^i??  N^ss, 
and  so  already  has  the  Jerus.  Gemara  to  Beza  ii.  G.  The  p 
of  7hD  is  partitive,  like  vi.  2,  Joseph's  interpretation,  vv. 
18,  19  :  Then  Joseph  answered  and  said:  This  is  its  interpre- 
tation :  TJie  three  baskets  are  three  days.  In  yet  three  days  will 
Pharaoh  lift  up  thy  head  from  thee  and  hang  thee  on  a  tree,  and 
the  birds  shall  eat  thy  flesh  from  off  thee.  As  in  the  quasi- 
blessing  of  Esau  ""iDC'D  is  ambiguously  repeated  from 
the  blessing  of  Jacob,  xxvii.  39,  comp.  xxviii.,  so  here 
^•J'xn"nx  KU^"'  has  the  sense  of  auferet  caput  tuum,  while  when 
said  of  the  cup-bearer  it  meant   efferet.     Beheading  was  an 

1  See  the  chapter  on  bread-baking  in  Woenig's  PJlanzen  im  alien  JEgy^ite, 
1886,  pp.  174-180. 


292  GENESIS  XL.  20-23. 

ordinary  capital  punishment,  and  the  hanging  of  the  corpse 
upon  a  tree  (stake)  an  enhancement  of  the  punishment  (in 
use  also  according  to  the  Mosaic  penal  law,  Deut.  xxi.  22  sq.). 
That  Joseph  did  not  keep  back  so  crushing  an  interpretation, 
is  a  proof  on  the  one  hand  of  his  Divine  certainty,  and  on 
the  other  of  the  courage  which  was  combined  with  his  truth- 
fulness ;  in  any  case,  he  would  feel  that  it  was  well  for  the 
unhappy  man  to  be  prepared  for  the  worst. 

The  fulfilment  of  the  interpretations,  vv.  20-23  :  And  it 
came  to  pass  on  the  third  day,  Pharaoh's  hirthday,  that  he 
made  a  feast  for  all  his  servants,  and  lifted  up  the  head  of  the 
chief  of  the  cup-hearers  and  of  the  chief  of  the  lakers  among  his 
servants.  He  restored  the  chief  of  the  cup-hearers  to  his  office  of 
cup-hearer,  and  he  gave  the  cup  into  Pharaoh's  hand.  And  the 
chief  of  the  haJcers  he  hanged,  as  Joseph  had  interpreted.  And  the 
cliief  of  the  cup-hearers  did  not  rcmcmhcr  Joseph — he  forgot  him. 
The  LXX  rightly  has  7]/j,epa  ^eviaew^  ^apaco,  and  Targ.  Jer.  I. 
^y^D^  Kp^35  DI''  ;  the  vif  Hoph.  ri7.?7,  which  means  tlie  having 
been  born  (different  from  the  inf.  Niph.  l?^^n,  e.g.  Hos.  ii.  5, 
the  being  born),  is  as  at  Ezek.  xvi.  5,  comp.  4,  combined  with 
an  accus.  object.  That  the  king's  birthday  was  kept  as  a 
holiday  in  Egypt,  is  confirmed,  at  least  for  the  Ptolemaic 
period,  by  the  bilingual  tables  of  Eosetta  and  Canopus.  Eashi 
understands  c'xi  xb'J  20&  according  to  Ex.  xxx.  12:  he  counted 
over  his  servants,  and  among  them  the  two  also.  Then  there 
would  be  an  addition  to  the  two  meanings  of  tollere  caput  the 
third  of  rcccnsere,  which  is  improbable  ;  the  Targ.  Jer.  correctly 
renders  it :  he  raised  (Opii)  the  heads  of  the  two  in  different 
manners.  "^P^^  2  la  does  not  as  apartic.  mean  the  cup-bearer, 
but  his  office  (i5  13a).  When  the  cup-bearer  was  reinstated 
in  his  office,  his  ingratitude  made  him  have  no  effectual 
remembrance  of  Joseph,  so  that  he  really  forgot  him. 


GENESIS  XLI.  1-4.  293 

PIIARAOIl'S  DREAMS  AND  JOSEni's  ELEVATION,  CII.  XLI. 

The  chief  source  from  which  this  narrative  is  obtained  is 
the  same  as  the  preceding.  E  {B)  may  be  recognised  by  such 
expressions  as  nriD  and  jiiriQ,  which  occur  exclusively  in  these 
portions  of  the  history  of  Joseph,  and  if?  office,  xl.  13,  xli,  13, 
as  also  by  the  form  ^^If^P  xli.  21  {E  elsewhere  also,  xxx.  41, 
xxi.  29,  xxxi.  6,  xlii.  36,  indulging  in  such  emphatic  pro- 
longations), and  the  Divine  name  D\"ibs  xli.  15  sq.  (where  / 
would  have  suitably  had  nin''),  but  especially  by  the  particular, 
that  Joseph  is  here  called  the  servant  appointed  by  the 
captain  of  the  guard  for  the  two  State  prisoners.  As  J"  would 
certainly  also  relate  the  elevation  of  Joseph  through  the  verifi- 
cation of  his  interpretation  of  Pharaoh's  dreams,  the  question 
arises  whether  many  traces  of  a  parallel  text  of  J  may  not  be 
more  easily  explained  by  the  view,  that  we  have  before  us  the 
narrative  according  to  E,  as  reproduced  by  J,  than  by  suj^posing 
that  B  interpolated  the  text  of  E  with  additions  from  J. 

Pharaoh's  first  dream,  vv.  1-4 :  And  it  came  to  2')ass  after 
tivo  full  years,  and  Bharaoh  dreamed,  and  behold  he  stood  hy 
the  Nile.  And,  behold,  there  came  out  of  the  Nile  seven  kine, 
beaidiful  of  form  and  fat  of  flesh,  and  they  fed  in  the  reed  grass. 
And  behold,  seven  other  kine  came  up  after  them  out  of  the  Nile, 
ill-favoured  and  lean  of  flesh,  and  stood  beside  the  Jcine  on  the 
brink  of  the  Nile.  And  the  ill-favoured  and  leaii-fleshed  kine 
devoured  the  seven  kine  beautifid  of  form  and  fat  of  flesh. 
The  structure  of  the  sentence  is  the  same  as  at  xlii.  35,  comp. 
XV.  17,  xxix.  25;  the  apodosis  begins  with  narrt,  and  nj?-i^i 
D?n  is  a  preceding  adverbial  sentence  (Driver,  §  78).  *i^y  is 
left  after  nSiT  without  the  subject  being  expressed,  as  at  xxiv. 
30,  comp.  ^vr\  mn  xxxvii.  15  (Driver,  §  135.  G).  To  ^)ny^ 
is  added  as  the  accus.  of  more  exact  definition  D'PJ  (Ges. 
118.  3):  two  years  of  days  are  two  full  years,  like  D'^)  ti'in 
xxix.  14,  a  full  month,  "ix";,  as  the  name  of  the  Nile,  may  be 
an  assimilated  Egyptian  word,  in  itself  it  is  however  Semitic, 


29-i  GENESIS  XLI.  5-8. 

and  used  as  much  of  the  Tigris  (Dan.  xii.  5  sq.)  as  of  the 
Nile,  and  even  of  mine-shafts  (see  Friedr.  Delitzsch,  Hebrew 
Language,  p.  25).  ^nx,  on  the  contrary,  is  an  indigenous 
Egyptian  word :  achu  from  ach,  redupl.  acliacli  to  become  green, 
LXX  a'x^i  (with  the  more  recent  final  i),  which  must  have 
been  so  much  transferred  into  Egyptian  Greek  that  T\T\V  Isa. 
xix.  17  is  translated  by  to  a')(^L  to  '^copov,  on  which  Jerome 
remarks  :  qiiid  hie  sermo  significaret,  audivi  ah  u^gyptiis,  hoc 
nomine  07nne  quod  in  palude  viride  nascitur  appcUari.  In- 
stead of  nipT  the  Samar.  has  mp"i,  like  the  Masoretic  text  of 
ver.  19  sq.,  27;  ri^?'^  brought  down,  thinned,  is  a  third  synonym. 
The  designation  of  the  brink  of  the  Nile  by  nab>  is  no  poetic 
image ;  nsb'  means  not  only  the  edge  of  the  mouth  (the  lips), 
but  the  rim  of  anything,  that  whereby  it  comes  in  friction 
or  into  contact  with  other  things  (see  on  the  root  on  iii.  15). 
Pharaoh's  second  dream,  vv.  5-7  :  And  he  slept  and  dreamed 
a  second  time,  and  hehold,  seven  ears  of  corn  came  up  upon  one 
stalk  fat  and  well-favoured.  And  behold,  seven  ears,  thiii  and 
blasted  by  the  east  wind,  sprang  up  after  them.  And  the  thin 
ears  stvalloived  up  the  seven  fat  and  full  ears — the?i  Pharaoh 
aivolce,  and  behold  it  was  a  dream.  The  —  in  ^Vt^^'  from  ^ly3l^' 
is  like  that  in  iJ^i^n  from  3pn  Num.  xxiii.  25.  The  adj.  N^13 
healthy,  strong,  fat,  is  also  applicable  to  ears,  which  can 
indeed  be  sickly  and  shrivel ;  such  a  sickness  is  the  blight 
np'it^  (P^"^,^*),  mostly  caused  in  Egypt  by  the  dreaded  Chamsin, 
blowing  from  the  south-eastern  desert  districts.  The  swallow- 
ing up  of  the  first  ears  by  the  second  is  not  really  meant,  for 
"tlie  absolutely  irrepresentable  cannot  be  dreamed"  (Heidenh.) : 
the  seven  lean  ears  shot  up  above  the  others  and  so  concealed 
them,  that  they  had,  as  it  were,  vanished.  Vain  interrogation 
of  native  scholars,  ver.  8  :  And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  morning 
that  his  spirit  ivas  troubled,  and  he  sent  and  called  all  the 
scribes  of  Egypt  and  all  the  wise  men  therein.  And  Pharaoh 
told  them  his  dream,  and  no  one  was  able  to  interpret  them  (the 
two   dreams)  to   Pharaoh.     In  the   similar  history  of  Nebu- 


GENESIS  XLI.  9-13  295 

chadnezzar's  dream,  the  Niiihal  2l?Eri;!  Dan,  ii.  3  precedes 
the  Hithpael  ^yanrii  with  a  similar  recession  of  the  tone. 
Pharaoh  sends  for  all  the  Q'''?P"in  and  all  the  wise  men  of 
Egypt.  He  did  what  Ptolemy,  according  to  Tacitus,  Hist.  iv. 
83,  did  in  a  similar  case:  sacerdotibus  Acgyptiorum,  quibus 
mos  talia  intellegere,  nodurnos  visus  apcrit.  Q'^'t'^"!']  (from  the 
non-occurring  sing.  Db")!])  is  a  Semitic  word  formed  perhaps 
in  consonance  with  an  Egyptian  one,  a  secondary  formation 
from  ti'in  pen,  mode  of  writing,  a  writing,  Isa.  viii.  1.  The 
LXX  translates  it  i^rjyrjraL,  i.e.  according  to  Hesycliius:  o  I  ire  pi 
lepoov  Koi  Siocrr}fM6ia>v  i^riyovfievot.  lepo'ypafifjiaT€2<;  would  be 
more  suitable.  Egypt  was  familiar  with  Llanticism  of  every  kind. 
The  plur.  ^niN,  referring  back  to  iDpn-riN,  looks  almost  like  a 
hint  that  the  native  scholars  looked  upon  the  essentially  one 
dream  as  two  different  dreams,  and  were  thereby  led  astray. 
Eeference  of  the  chief  cup-bearer  to  Joseph,  vv.  9-13:  Then 
tJie  chief  of  the  cup-hearers  spoke  to  Pharaoh  saying :  I  reviemhcr 
my  sins  this  day.  Pharaoh  was  angry  ivith  his  servants  and 
gave  me  into  custody  of  the  house  of  the  captain  of  the  guard, 
me  and  the  chief  of  ilie  bakers.  Then  we  dreamed  a  dream  in 
one  and  the  same  night,  I  and  he,  we  dreamed  each  after  the 
interpretation  of  his  dream.  And  there  was  there  with  us  a 
young  Hebrew  man,  a  slave  of  the  captain  of  the  guard  ;  to  him 
toe  told  it,  and  he  interpreted  to  us  our  dreams,  according  to  the 
dream  of  each  he  interpreted.  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  he  had 
interpreted  to  ^is,  so  it  happened ;  me  he  reinstated  in  my  office, 
and  him  he  hanged.  The  combination  nx  "iliT  is  neither  here 
nor  at  Ex.  ii.  1,  iii.  22  an  accusatival  one;  ns  is  a  preposition, 
as  at  xlii.  30,  xxiii.  8.  The  LXX  rightly  renders  ti]v  afxap- 
rlav  jxov  avafiLiivrjo-Kuy  a-ijfiepov,  not:  I  bring  it  to  mention,  but 
(as  at  xL  14)  I  bring  it  to  remembrance  ;  but  he  says  ''n*^^  (not 
""^PO),  respectfully  magnifying  and  not  diminishing  the  offence, 
which  had  incurred  the  anger  of  Pharaoli.  Instead  of  the  first 
■•nx,  the  LXX,  Samar.  have  the  preferable  onx.  The  genit. 
combination   in  the    custody   of    the  ...   is   repeated    from 


296  GENESIS  XLI.  14-lG. 

xl.  3.  The  intensive  ah  with  the  1  'pl.  impf.  nippnsi,  which 
makes  the  historical  statement  only  the  more  emphatic,  finds 
its  equal  in  ^^V^l,  Ps,  xc.  10,  and  elsewhere  occurs  almost 
only  in  the  1  sing.,  e.g.  xxxii.  6,  E\v.  §  232^.  io^ns  &^_ 
is,  according  to  the  scheme  discussed  in  rem.  on  ix.  5,  equi- 
valent to  t^"'^^  C)6n3,  as  ii'i?'"''^?  ^^'i^  xlii.  25  is  the  same  as  in 
the  sack  of  each.  Joseph's  appearance  before  Pharaoh,  vv. 
14-16  :  And  Pharaoh  sent  and  called  Joseph,  and  they  dis- 
missed him  cpaicldy  from  prison ;  he  shaved  himself  and  changed 
his  garments  and  came  hefore  Pharaoh,  and  Pharaoh  said  to 
Joseph :  I  have  dreamed  a  dream,  and  no  one  can  interpret  it, 
hut  I  have,  heard  say  of  thee,  that  thou  hearest  a  dream  to  (at 
once)  interpret  it.  Then  Joseph  answered  Pharaoh  saying :  It 
belongs  not  to  me,  God  will  answer  ivliat  will  profit  Pharaoh. 
The  prison  is  here  called  nia,  as  at  xL  15.  The  LXX  has  utto 
rou  6)(vpdi)fxaTo^,  i.e.  according  to  xl.  14,  xxxix.  20  n"'2iTp.  The 
unnamed  subject  of  invi^'l  is  as  frequently  (e.g.  Zecli.  iii.  5, 
comp.  Luke  xii.  20)  the  attendants:  they  quickly  dismiss 
(not  fetch)  Joseph,  and,  being  free  for  his  departure  to  the 
palace,  he  shaves  himself  (n?a  reflexive,  like  )V]  to  wash  one- 
self) and  changes  his  garments ;  for  to  shave  off  all  hair  from 
the  body,  was  in  Egypt  a  main  article  of  cleanliness  and 
purity ;  and  that  no  one  should  appear  before  a  king  in  his 
work-day  garments,  is  self-understood.  With  respect  to  shav- 
ing, Joseph  had  as  yet  had  no  reason  for  conforming  to 
Egyptian  custom.  'T'?y  de  te,  as  at  1  Kings  x.  6  :  The  king 
has  heard  say  concerning  Joseph,  that  he  only  needs  to  hear 
a  dream,  to  be  able  at  once  to  interpret  it.  He  however  refers 
the  king,  as  he  did  (xl.  8)  the  two  prisoners,  from  human 
intervention  to  God.  '^'"1)1^^  xli.  44  without  the  cxcepto  te ; 
thus  the  ""^V- ?  forms  a  thought  of  itself :  without  me  =  I  can 
do  nothing  at  all  (like  I  may  (take)  nothing  at  all,  xiv.  24). 
God  alone  is  able  to  do  it,  and  He  can  give  the  power  ;  He  will 
give  as  an  answer  (to  me  who  inquire  of  Him)  the  welfare  of 
Pharaoh,  i.e.  what  shall  be  for  his  welfare.      This  sounds  hope- 


GENESIS  XLI.  17-32.  297 

fill,  though  it  does  not  prejudge.  Pharaoh  again  repeats  his 
double  dream,  vv.  17-24:  Aiid  Pharaoh  said  to  Josepli:  In 
my  dream,  behold  I  stood  on  the  brink  of  the  Nile.  And  behold 
seven  Icine  rose  up  out  of  the  Nile  fat  of  flesh  and  beautiful  of 
form  and  fed  in  the  reed-yrass.  And  behold  seven  other  kine 
rose  up  after  them,  poor  and  very  ill-favoured,  and  fallen  away 
in  flesh.  I  have  not  seen  their  like  for  badness  in  all  the  land  of 
Hgypt.  And  the  fallen  away  and  ill-favoured  kine  ate  up  the 
seven  first  fat  kine.  And  tlwy  went  into  their  indde,  and  it 
could  not  be  seen  that  they  had  gone  into  their  inside,  and  their 
appearance  was  ill-favoured  as  at  the  beginning — then  I  awoke. 
And  I  saw  in  my  dream,  and  behold,  seven  cars  shot  up  on  one 
stalk,  full  and  fair  to  see,  and  behold  seven  ears  tvithered,  thin 
and  blasted  by  the  cast  wind.  And  the  thin  ears  swallowed  up 
the  seven  good  cars — /  told  it  to  the  scribes,  and  none  of  them 
could  give  me  an  coplanation.  In  such  repetitions  Hebrew 
authors,  and  even  poets  in  their  refrains  (see  Fscdms,  4th  edit. 
p.  350),  delight  in  small  variations  instead  of  literal  identity. 
So  e.g.  xxiv.  42-47  with  relation  to  xxiv.  11-24.  It  is  a 
needless  conjecture  that  the  variations  are  worked  in  from  the 
parallel  text  of  J  (Dillm.).  In  Pharaoh's  repetition  of  his 
double  dream  the  adjectives  rii?^,  nipi  and  niDj>'  as  well  as  the 
greater  detail,  195,  21a,  are  new.  On  the  sing.  Ii?'''^'!^  21a, 
see  Ges.  §  9.3.  3,  note  3.  And  on  D'7?nx  23&,  instead  of  the 
more  correct  i'!}^7n^,  comp.  xxxi.  9,  xxxii.  IG,  and  ^"i/?*i  xx.  17. 
Joseph's  interpretation,  vv.  25-32:  Then  Joseph  said  to 
Pharaoh:  The  dream  of  Pharaoh  is  one  ;  what  God  intends  to  do 
he  has  announced  to  Pharaoh.  The  seven  well-favoured  kine  are 
seven  years,  and  the  seven  ivcll-favourcd  ears  are  seven  years.  The 
dream  is  one.  And  the  seven  lean  and  ill-favoured  kine,  which 
came  up  after  the  former,  are  seven  years,  and  the  ears  empty 
and  blasted  by  the  cast  wind  will  be  seven  years  of  famine. 
This  is  the  word  that  I  said  unto  Pharaoh :  IVliat  God  intends 
to  do  He  has  shoion  unto  Pharaoh.  Behold,  seven  years  are 
approaching,  a  great  plenty  in  the  ivhole  land  of  Egypt.     And 


298  GENESIS  XLI.  33-36. 

seven  years  of  famine  shall  arise  after  them,  and  the  plenty  is 
forgotten  in  the  land  of  J^gypt,  and  the  famine  will  consume  the 
land.  And  the  plenty  will  not  he  notieed  in  the  land  by  reason 
of  the  famine  folloioing,  heeause  it  is  very  grievous.  And  in 
respect  of  this  that  the  dream  was  tivice  repeated  to  Pharaoh, 
(this  happened)  because  the  thing  is  settled  loith  God,  and  God 
will  speedily  bring  it  to  pass.  Osiris  was  to  the  Egyptians  the 
God  of  the  Nile,  whose  symhol  was  the  bull  (Died.  i.  51), 
and  Isis-Hathor  the  goddess  of  the  fertile  and  all-nourishing 
earth,  whose  symbol,  the  cow  (]\Iacrobius,  Saturn,  i.  19),  was 
also  that  of  the  moon  and  the  lunar  year — hence  the  inter- 
pretation of  the  kine  by  fruitful  or  unfruitful  years,  according 
to  the  favour  or  disfavour  of  the  Nile,  was  an  obvious  one ; 
but  it  needed  Joseph's  divinely  attested  insight  into  the  future, 
to  answer  not  only  for  this  apparently  obvious  and  simple  in- 
terpretation, but  also  for  the  results  of  fourteen  years.  On  the 
determinated  adj.  with  the  undeterminated  chief  notion  in  V^^ 
nbbn  n'la  26a,  see  on  i.  31.  Instead  of  HipT  the  second  seven 
ears  are  called  27&  nip"]ri  (the  opposite  of  riispp) ;  Dip"!  is  only 
said  of  the  kine.  In  the  remark  that  the  seven  empty  ears  are 
seven  years  of  famine,  i.e.  will  be  proved  to  mean  such,  the 
centre  of  gravity  in  the  meaning  of  the  two  dreams  is  antici- 
patively  alluded  to.  The  "  word  "  ("i^'^'I',  comp.  Acts  xv.  6  in 
Luther's,  and  in  our  Hebrew  translation)  28a  is  what  he  said 
25&.  Dip  "  arise"  (oriri),  said  of  years,  is  a  kind  of  personifying 
transference  of  the  diction  of  Ex.  i.  8.  As  the  swallowing  up 
is  alluded  toby  nBC':"!,  so  by  I'l^^^'i^^"!  is  it  signified  that  nothing 
of  the  seven  fat  morsels  was  perceived  in  the  seven  lean  kine ; 
the  famine  will  be  so  great  that  the  stores  will  visibly  dis- 
appear. The  elliptical  brevity  in  ver.  32  is  like  xxxvii.  22 
(E).  ^V  introduces  that  to  which  respect  is  had,  as  at 
Euth  iv.  7  (comp.  p  xvii.  20),  and  ""S  confirms  the  said  state 
of  matters  (comp.  on  xviii.  20).  Joseph's  counsel,  vv. 
33-36  :  And  nmo  let  Pharaoh  look  for  a  prudent  and  wise 
man  and  set  him  over  the  land  of  Egypt.     Let  Pharaoh  set 


GENESIS  XLI.  37-10.  299 

to  tvorJc  and  appoint  overseers  over  the  land,  and  talce  tip  a 
fifth  part  of  the  land  of  Egypt  in  the  seven  years  of  plenty. 
And  let  them  gather  all  the  food  of  these  coming  good  years 
and  heap  up  corn  under  the  hand  of  Pharaoh  in  the  cities, 
and  let  them,  keep  it.  And  the  food  shall  he  for  a  store  for 
the  land  for  the  seven  years  of  famine  which  will  come  upon 
the  land  of  Egypt,  that  the  land  he  not  ruined  throiigh  the 
famine.  The  jussive  ^*^.1  has,  according  to  the  Masora,  the 
tone  upon  the  ultima  (Kouig,  p.  5G1),  and  has  on  that 
account  Tsere  instead  of  Segol  in  the  last  syllable,  as 
Abenezra  expressly  states  in  his  two  Grammars.  In  34a  we 
must  not  explain :  constituat  Pharao  et  praefieiat  praefcctos 
(Dillm.),  which  is  tautological ;  Ges.  rightly  compares  the 
Latin  fac  scrihas,  the  object  of  nbT  is  what  is  afterwards 
specified,  or  also :  nb>y  has  in  itself  the  completed  sense  of 
acting  or  setting  to  work;  1  Kings  viii.  32,  comp.  Ps. 
xxii.  32,  is  similar.  Pharaoh  should  take  during  the  seven 
fruitful  years  the  fifth  part  of  tlie  entire  harvest,  by  means  of 
commissioners,  and  store  up  this  corn  (i?)  under  Pharaoh's 
hand,  i.e.  in  royal  magazines,  that  the  store  of  food  thus  laid 
up  (''i?^)  may  save  the  land  from  starvation  during  the  years 
of  famine.  The  verbal  copiousness  of  ver.  3  5  may  arise  from 
the  two  accounts  being  here  compressed  into  one,  as  in  vv. 
48,  49  (comp.  xxvii.  44  sq.,  xxxi.  18).  Elevation  of  Joseph 
to  be  the  highest  official  in  the  land,  vv.  37-40  :  And  the 
thin^g  was  good  in  the  eyes  of  Pharaoh  and  in  the  eyes  of  all 
his  servants.  And  Pharaoh  said  to  his  servants:  Shall  we 
find  a  man  like  this,  in  whom  is  the  spirit  of  God  I  And 
Pharaoh  said  to  Joseph :  Since  God  has  showed  thee  all  this, 
there  is  none  prudent  and  ivise  as  thou.  Thou  shall  he  over  my 
house,  and  according  to  thy  hidding  shall  all  my  p'coplc  he  ruled, 
only  hy  the  throne  will  I  he  greater  than  thou.  Arnheim  trans- 
lates 38a  "will  there  be  found;"  but  we  have  not  >^>'P'n,  nor 
is  KVoa  the  parte. Niph.,  for  "will  found  be  =  exists"  would  be 
expressed  in  ancient  Hebrew  by  ^'^J] ;  Pashi  already  correctly 


300  GENESIS  XLI.  41,  42. 

gives :  should  we  fiud,  if  we  should  go  and  seek  for.  To 
translate  AOa  "upon  thy  mouth  shall  all  my  people  kiss" 
(Ges.  Kn.),  is  impracticable ;  for  though  p2^2  to  kiss  =  to  do 
homage,  is  now  also  corroborated  by  the  Assyrian,  the  kiss  of 
homage  is  a  kissing  of  the  foot,  not  the  mouth,  for  which 
''Kip~?3  would  certainly  be  an  intolerable  subj.,  and  besides  we 
find  in  Biblical  Hebrew  ip'f  J  or  V  pt^'3  (he  kissed  him),  but 
not  VD  ^y  pu^':.  pu:  means  to  join,  especially  mouth  to  mouth, 
i.e.  to  kiss,  but  also  to  fit  to  (whence  the  armour  a  man  puts 
on  is  called  p5^'J),  and  here  (but  not  at  Ps.  ii.  12)  with  an 
internal  obj. :  disponere   (res  suas),  to  submit  to  (comp.  Ji3 

(i^ij) ;  hence  T'S'^V  like  xlv.  21.  t'E'Sn  is  the  accus.  of  more 
exact  definition,  according  to  Ges.  §  118.  3.  Honours  are 
heaped  on  Joseph,  and  first  the  insignia  of  his  of6.ce  are  be- 
stowed, vv.  41,  42  :  And  Pharaoh  said  to  Joseph :  Behold,  I 
have  placed  thee  over  the  xuhole  land  of  Egypt.  Then  Fharaoh 
took  off  his  signet  ring  from  his  hand  andp)ut  it  on  the  hand  of 
Joseph,  and  he  clothed  him  in  lyssus  garments  and  put  the  gold 
chain  on  his  neck.  Ver.  41  was  not  absolutely  needed  after 
ver.  40,  and  may  have  been  taken  from  the  parallel  source, 
but  stands  here  as  the  solemn  act  of  institution,  following 
the  declaration  of  Pharaoh's  will  (see  on  ''JiinJ  1.  29).  r\y2Q 
like  oni'"',  Arab,  chdtim,  means  the  signet  ring,  which  is 
confirmed  as  Egyptian  by  impressions  from  the  signets  of 
the  Pharaohs,  Cheops,  Horus,  Sabaco.  t^'t^'"'''^Jn  are  garments 
of  cotton  (there  were  cotton  plantations  in  ancient  Egypt,  see 
Ebers,  Lurch  Gosen  zum  Sinai,  2nd  edit.  pp.  490-492),  or 
also  fine  white  cotton  -  like  linen  ;  for  t^'?f',  ancient  Egypt. 
schenti,  means  both ;  while  pa,  ancient  Egyptian  piek,  is  the 
proper  word  for  fine  linen.  Priestly  garments,  by  which 
Joseph  is  here  distinguished,  might  not  be  of  woollen,  but 
mi"ht  be    of  either    cotton    or  linen.^     ^n^n  nm   (T-aT  from 

^  The  white  head-gear  usual  among  the  wandering  tribes  is  now  called 
(jili,  properly  the  fine  white  cotton  texture,  of  which  it  consists  [DMZ, 
xxxii,  161). 


GENESIS  XLI.  43,  44.  301 

*73"i,  kj .,  V  31  to  fix  closely)  is  the  gold  chain  usual  as  an  official 
distinction,  a  mark,  according  to  Elian  and  Diodorus,  of  the 
dignity  of  a  judge,  but  here  of  like  significance  with  the 
"  golden  collar "  occurring  on  the  monuments  as  a  reward. 
Joseph  is  presented  to  the  people  as  the  highest  representa- 
tive of  the  king,  who  appoints  him  an  almost  absolute  ruler 
with  himself,  vv.  43,  44  :  And  he  made  him  ride  in  his  second 
chariot,  and  they  cried  before  him:  Abrcch ;  and  he  'plttccd  him 
over  the  whole  land  of  Egypt.  And  Pharaoh  said  to  Joseph : 
I  am  Pharaoh,  and  without  thee  shall  no  one  lift  up  hand  or 
foot  in  the  whole  land  of  Egypt.  As  •^.V^P'!'  "v}'^  is  the  second 
priest  of  highest  rank  after  the  t;'ti"")n  pa^  so  is  nasiD 
nj^^jn  the  next  State  chariot  to  the  exclusively  royal  one. 
The  call  to  show  profound  respect  expressed  in  "n?3X^  is 
satisfactorily  explained  as  an  Egyptian  cry  assimilated  to  the 
Hebrew  :  "  Cast  thyself  down  ! "  The  Coptic  ahork,  imper. 
of  lor,  to  cast  down,  with  the  suffix  of  the  2nd  pers.,  means 
this  (Benfey,  Vcrhalt.  der  dg.  Spraehe  znm  sevi.  Sprachstamm, 
p.  302  sq.).  In  Hebrew  ^")3S  is  to  be  understood  as  the 
inf.  ahs.  Hiph.  of  y\2  (comp.  Ci''3v"^  Jer.  xxv.  3),  whence 
Jose  b.  Dormaskith  in  Sifri  {Q^a,  ed.  Friedmann)  explains 
it  by  D''3"ia^,  and  Jerome  translates :  clamante  praecone  ut 
omnes  coram  eo  genu  flceterent}  The  Targum  and  Midrash, 
on  the  contrary,  explain  innx  as  a  compound  from  3K  and 
li  pater  tcner  (highly  respected  though  young),  which  must 
be  left  out  of  consideration,  or  from  2X  and  'i]"»  piater  regis 
(see  Eashi  on  this  passage),  which  is   in  itself  permissible, 

^  In  Macropodius'  Josephtis,  sacra  fahula,  the  herald  ThalthyLius  goes 
through  the  city  with  Joseph  and  proclaims  :  ^urripa  Koir/^ov  regis  edicfo  hunc 
jubeo  vocarier  Genuque  flexo  jEgyptiis  ah  omnibus  adorarier ;  see  v.  Weilen, 
Der  agyptische  Joseph  im  Drama  des  XVI.  Jahrh.  1887.  The  view  quoted 
by  Kohlcr  {Gesch.  i.  156)  from  the  Speaker's  Commentary,  that  "]")2S  means 
the  same  as  the  Hebrew  K3"ncbS  has,  notwithstanding  its  Egyptologic  demon- 

strabilitj',  this  first  of  all  against  it,  that  it  does  away  with  the  kinship  of 
meaning  between  the  original  word  and  its  Hebraized  form  (comp.  my  Jesurun, 
p.  107  sq.).  Still  farther  ofif  is  v.  Strauss-Torncy's  explanation:  "he  who 
opens  knowledge." 


302  ■  GENESIS  XLI.  45. 

"  father  of  the  king "  being  actually  the  title  which  Joseph 
gives  himself,  xlv.  85,  and  having  other  Oriental  analogues 
as  the  title  of  the  highest  official  at  the  side  of  the  king. 
Apparently  however  it  cannot  be  adopted,  because  y^  =  rex 
{Baba  hatJira  4a  i<3n  nn  N^  xan  i6,  "  not  king  and  not  king's 
son")  is  a  borrowed  Jewish  word  derived  from  the  Latin. 
But  Friedr.  Delitzsch  points  out  in  his  Hchreiu  Language, 
p.  26  sq.,  that  aharaJcku  is  in  Assyrian  the  appellation  of  the 
highest  dignitary  in  the  kingdom,  and  is  ideogrammatically 
explained  by  "  friend  of  the  king ; "  even  the  goddess  who  is 
the  supreme  protectress  of  a  sanctuary  is  called  aharahkatu. 
Since  neither  a  Hebrew  nor  an  Egyptian  medium  is  per- 
ceptible for  the  use  of  this  Assyrian  word,^  itself  inexplicable 
in  Assyrian,  some  curious  chance  must  certainly  have  had 
a  hand  in  the  matter.^  The  inf.  ahs.  pn3l  continues  the 
Jinitum  in  an  adverbially  subordinate  manner  as  at  Isa. 
xxxvii.  19,  Ex.  viii.  11,  Lev.  xxv.  14,  Judg.  vii.  19,  Hagg. 
i.  6,  Zech.  iii.  4,  xii.  10,  Eccles.  iv.  2.  In  ver.  44  is  repeated 
what  was  already  virtually  stated  at  ver.  40,  viz.  that  Pharaoh 
is  king,  but  that  Joseph  is  to  be  ruler.  Joseph's  change  of 
name  and  marriage,  ver.  45  :  And  Pharaoh  called  Joseph's 
name  Sdphnath  Paneah,  and  gave  him  2.snat,  daughter  of 
Potiphera  the  priest  of  On,  to  wife,  and  Joseph  went  out  over  the 
land  of  Egypt.  The  LXX  paraphrases  the  name  WovOofi- 
(pavijx,  which,  as  Jerome  testifies,  and  as  is,  with  the  exception 
of  one  letter,  confirmed  by  the  Coptic,  means  salvator  mundi, 
p-sot-om-ph-eneh  (from  sot,  sole  salvation,,  and  cneh  age,  world), 
but  the  nasal  iJ-sont,  instead  of  p-sot,  thus  remains  unexplained. 
It  seems  therefore  more  obvious  ta  regard  njys  as  the 
Egyptian  anh  life,  provided  with  the  article  (whence  the 
temple  quarter  of  Memphis  was  called  p)-ta-anh,  the  world 
of  life),  and  with  Eosellini,  Lepsius,  Ormsby  and  others,  to 

'  The  opposition  of  HaMvy  in  Recherches  Bihliques,  No.  vi.  p.  24,  must  still 
let  the  fact  stand  that  abarakku  aud  abarrakkatu  are,  in  Assyrian^  the  names 
of  high  dignity. 

2  See  the  Assyrian  Diciionary,  pp.  68-70. 


GENESIS  XLI.  45.  303 

explain  the  name  as  compounded  of  s6nt  to  support,  to  pre- 
serve, and  anh,  "support  {sustcntator)  of  life"  (n:EV=n;j;L;). 
Josephus,  Ant.  ii.  6.  1,  by  explaining  the  name  KpvirTwv 
€vpeT7)<i  reproduces  the  impression  made  by  the  Hebraized 
word  upon  Jewish  ears  (see  Bcrcsliith  rahhah,  c.  90);  the 
Jewish  Pajtanim  use  n^ys  as  a  four-lettered  verb,  with  the 
meaning  to  uncover,  to  reveal  (DMZ.  xxxvi.  402).  Tlie 
name  of  ri:pN  (LXX  'Aaeved)  apparently  means  one  belong- 
ing to  the  goddess  Ncith,  the  Egyptian  Athene ;  Brugsch, 
Gcsch.  p.  248,  identifies  it  with  Snat  {Sant),  a  female  name 
frequent  in  the  ancient  and  middle  kingdom.  On  the  name 
of  her  father  V)^  '"DiQ  (one  dedicated  to  the  god  Ea),  we  have 
already  spoken  at  xxxvii.  36.  He  was  a  priest  in  }n  (jix), 
which  the  LXX  rightly  translate  'HXLov7r6Xi<;  in  the  liistory 
of  Joseph ;  they  also  thus  render  the  synonymous  P.5<  Ezek. 
xxx.  1 7  ;  while,  on  the  contrary,  the  Coelesyrian  |ix  (Helio- 
polis)  is  paraphrased  as  "^Slv.  In  ancient  Egyptian  it  was 
called  Ayi  (Ami),  or  more  precisely  Amimhit,  Anu  of  the 
north,  in  Coptic  Un  or  On,  which  means  light,  according  to 
Cyrill  on  Hos.  v.  8  ^X^o? ;  the  sacred  name  of  the  city  was 
ta-Ea  or  pa-Ea,  house  of  the  sun  (as  at  Jer.  xliii.  13  IT'S 
^'?^'!?,  comp.  on  Isa.  xix.  18).  The  worship  of  the  sun  was 
the  most  ancient  form  of  the  Egyptian  religion ;  Amon-Ea 
was  called,  subsequently  to  Ahmes  I.,  the  king  of  the  gods.^ 
Joseph,  the  husband  of  the  priest  of  the  sun's  daughter,  has 
now  become  an  Egyptian  to  the  Egyptians,  the  favourite  son  of 
Jacob  a  ruler  of  the  heathen ;  he  is  admitted  into  the  priestly 
caste,  to  which  the  kings  of  Egypt  also  belonged,  or  into 
which  they  had  to  be  admitted,  if  descended  from  the 
military  caste.       Thus    raised    to  be    ruler  of  the   land,  he 

^  See  Krummel,  Die  Religion  der  alien  yEgypter,  18S3,  p.  19  sq.  One  of  the 
obelisks,  which  stood  in  front  of  the  temple  of  the  sun,  the  most  ancient, 
erected  by  King  Osirtases  I.,  is  still  there  ;  of  the  two  others,  which  bear  the 
names  of  Tutmes  III.,  Ramses  II.,  and  Seti  II.,  one  now  adorns  the  Thames 
Embankment  in  London,  the  other  the  public  park  in  New  York.  See  J.  Leslie 
Porter's  Efji/pt,  Phtjsiccd  mid  Historical,  1885,  p.  18  sq. 


304  GENESIS  XLI.  46-49. 

went  out  over  the  land  of  Egypt,  bv  i^T  as  at  Ps.  Ixxx.  6. 
This  is  now  told  once  more  in  the  words  of  another  narrator, 
ver.  46 :  And  Joseph  was  thirty  years  old  when  he  stood 
before  Pharaoh  hing  of  Egypt;  and  Joseph  iccnt  out  from 
'before  Pharaoh  and  went  through  the  whole  land  of  Egypt. 
The  combination  Dll^'^P  '^?9  '^^"!-  occurs  only  here  in  Genesis, 
and  is  next  met  with  Ex.  vi.  11,  and  farther  on  in  Q  {A). 
To  this  narrator  belongs  the  statement  of  age  at  xxxvii.  2,  and 
consequently  here  also :  hence  from  twelve  to  thirteen  years 
elapsed  between  Joseph's  sale  and  elevation.  The  tone  of 
diction  46«  is  like  that  of  xlvii.  7,  and  46&  like  that  of 
xlvii.  10.  Joseph's  arrangements  during  the  seven  fruitful 
years,  vv.  47-49  :  And  the  land  bore  in  the  seven  years  of 
plenty  by  handfds.  And  he  gathered  all  the  food  of  the 
seven  years,  wliich  were  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  laid  up 
the  food  in  the  cities,  the  food  of  the  ground  round  about  any 
city  he  laid  up  in  that  city.  And  Joseph  heaped  up  corn  as 
the  sand  of  the  sea,  exceeding  much,  so  that  he  left  off  nurnber- 
ing,  for  it  teas  beyond  oiumhcring.  The  noun  J'PP,  with  its 
derivative  ]"op,  is  native  in  the  Minchah  law,  Lev.  ii.  2 
and  onwards  ;  the  former  means  the  hand  forming  a 
hollow  for  grasping,  the  latter  to  take  away  a  handful  (mani- 
jndum  or  pugillum).  Consequently  CypiPP  (with  an  adverbial 
^  in  the  sense  of  the  Greek  Kara  or  avd,  E\v.  §  21 7c?)  here 
means,  in  such  abundance  that  the  whole  hand  was  always 
needed  for  taking  what  offered  itself,  not :  in  bundles, 
Tnanipidatim  (Ges.),  which  does  not  give  the  notion  of  great 
abundance ;  but,  if  the  expression  may  be  allowed,  in  full- 
handed  manner.  In  ver.  48  the  undeterminated  D'Jt?'  i'??^  is 
intolerable ;  it  cannot  mean  per  septem  annos,  for  b^^  (without 
an  article)  points  to  a  genitival  relation,  so  that  we  have  to 
write  according  to  ver.  35  Q''?kfO  J-'^'^',  or,  since  this  does  not  else- 
where occur  thus  without  an  addition,  V'y^'^  ''Jl^'  Vy^'  (as  at  ver. 
53).  The  LXX,  Sam.  take  over  V3b>  into  the  relative  sentence: 
ra  /Bpco/xara  rcov  kirra  erwv  iv  oU  rjv  i)  evdrjvla  (yat^n  n\n)  ev  rfj 


GENESIS  XLI.  60-52.  305 

yp  AlyvTTTOv.  Hcidenh.,  Eeggio  and  others  understand  r^i?'! 
and  ']^^]  with  the  most  general  subject:  they  collected,  they  put; 
but  that  we  have  ^pi^  in  ver.  49  and  not  already  ver.  48,  just 
shows  that  the  narrative  is  not  of  one  cast.  Joseph  collected 
the  whole  produce  of  cereal  food  (p^ii,  viz.  i?,  comp.  ver.  35) 
of  the  seven  fruitful  years,  by  placing  granaries  ^  in  the 
cities  for  the  harvest  within  their  territories,  and  the  corn 
to  be  stowed  up  was  very  much,  like  the  sand  of  the  sea  (a 
usual  hyperbole,  xxii.  17,  xxxii.  13),  so  that  he  left  off 
keeping  account  of  it,  because  of  its  enormous  quantity. 
Joseph's  sons  by  Asnath,  vv.  50-52  :  Aiid  there  were  tiuo 
sons  'born  to  Joseph  before  the  coming  of  the  year  of  famine, 
v:]iich  Asnath,  daughter  of  Fotiphera,  priest  of  On,  hare  him. 
And  Joseph  called  the  name  of  the  first-horn  Ilanasseh,  for 
"  Ulohim  has  made  me  forget  all  my  trouble,  and  all  of  my 
fathers  house."  And  the  name  of  the  second  he  called 
Ephraim,  for  "  Elohim  hath  made  me  fruitful  in  the  land 
of  my  affliction"  The  passive  ''?!',  with  a  plural  subject 
following,  is  like  x.  25  (</),  comp.  xxxv.  26  (0,  and  the  more 
particular  statement  with  i'^''*?  {qxLos,  quem,  quam)  without 
pronouns  referring  backwards,  like  xvi.  15,  xxv.  12,  xxxiv. 
1  (Q).  The  year  of  famine  is  self-evidently  the  first  of  the 
seven.  The  Aramaico- Arabic  form  ''^^^  for  "'?u'J  (comp.  '\\>']?. 
Num.  xxiv.  17  for  "ii?.1i?)  is  chosen  because  of  its  consonance 
with  the  name  ;  ^^'^  is  a  causative  Piel,  like  0^?  Job  xxxiii.  20. 
pn"'  Ps.  cxix.  49,  Hu^jo  he  who  brings  into  for^etfulness,  i.e. 
his  former  sorrows,  and  also  the  fate  of  his  family,  which  had 
formerly  caused  him  great  anxiety."  D^IS^j^  means  double 
fruitfulness,  the  Dual  being  used  in  Egyptian  also  in  a  super- 
lative   sense,  e.g.   double  -  Jbis  =  Jbis  kut    e'f.,  comp.    Qn^l:^' 

^  ni33DO  Ex.  i.  11,  from  'flD  to  take  care  of;  see  FrieJr.  Delitzsch,  Proleg. 

p.  186. 

*  In  a  bilingual  Cypriote  inscription  (in  the  possession  of  Colonel  \\''arren^, 
the  erector  of  the  dedicated  image  is  called  in  the  Phoenician  text  DH^D,  in  the 
Cyprio-Gieek  Mavao-o-*;,-,  which  is  certainly  a  confusion  caused  by  the  kindred 
meaning. 

VOL.  II,  U 


306  GENESIS  XLI,  53-55. 

double  dawn,  1  Chron.  viii.  8,  and  the  allusion  to  the  meaning 
of  the  name  Ephraim,  Hos.  xiii.  15. 

It  is  strange,  remarks  Kn.,  that  Joseph,  who  so  affectionately 
loved  and  was  equally  beloved  by  his  father,  did  not  give  him 
early  notice  of  his  safety  and  exaltation,  but  let  a  number  of 
years  pass  by  without  doing  so,  and  then  only  found  occasion 
for  this  communication  on  the  arrival  of  his  brethren.  This 
obvious  objection  is  met  by  the  consideration,  that  the  news 
would  have  destroyed  the  peace  of  his  father's  family,  so  he 
went  on  trusting  in  God,  who  could  bring  all  to  a  happy  issue. 
In  the  first  place  his  prophetic  interpretation  had  to  be  con- 
firmed by  the  result.  This  now  took  place,  vv.  53—55  :  And 
the  seven  years  of  'plenty  that  ivas  in  the  land  of  Egypt  came  to 
an  end.  And  the  seven  years  of  famine  Icgan  to  come,  as  Joseph 
had  said,  and  there  was  famine,  in  all  lands,  hut  in  the  land  of 
Egypt  there  was  hread.  And  the  whole  land  of  Egypt  was 
famished,  and  the  people  cried  to  Pharaoh  for  hread.  And 
Pharaoh  said  to  all  the  Egyptians :  Go  to  Joseph ;  what  he 
saith  to  you  do.  In  ver.  48^  vn  is  used  with  respect  to  D''?t" ; 
here  n^n  in  conjunction  with  V2iyr\,  There  was  bread  in  Egypt, 
i.e.  in  the  granaries ;  and  when,  after  the  consumption  of 
private  stores,  the  general  scarcity  was  felt  there  also,  Pharaoh 
referred  those  who  supplicated  his  help  to  Joseph,  who  now 
opened  the  granaries  and  sold  to  natives  and  foreigners  the 
corn  there  stored  up,  vv.  56,  57:  And  the  famine  extended 
over  all  the  face  of  the  land  :  and  Joseph  opened  all  the  store- 
houses and  sold  to  the  Egyptians,  and  the  famine  prevailed  in 
the  land  of  Egypt.  And  the  whole  popidatio7i  of  the  earth  came 
to  Egypt,  to  Joseph,  to  huy,  for  the  famine  prevailed  in  all  the 
earth.  Ver.  56  ought  to  end  with  :  ^^'nypp  (Dillm.) ;  it  treats 
throughout  of  Egypt.  The  famine  increased  there,  and  at  the 
same  time  in  all  the  neighbouring  countries.  Dr'S  "'^'^~''?"^?, 
all  places  wherein  was  found  ;  the  subj.  is  missing,  just  as 
when  n^^:'  xlix.  1 0  means  :  he  whose  is.  Both  phrases  are  as 
to  style  impossible.      The  Samar.  adds  in  (corn),  but  we  also 


GENESIS  XLII,  1-4.  307 

want  niiV'.sn  ;  perhaps  nni  "iC'X  is  corrupted  from  -13  nii^is, 
whence  the  LXX  has  TraVra?  rov<;  airo/SoXcova'i.  The  verb 
')2'y  is  a  clcnom.  from  1?"^'  food,  perhaps  as  that  which  breaks 
hunger  and  thirst  (Ps.  civ.  11),  according  to  Fleischer  on 
I'rov.  xi.  26  what  is  crushed,  ground,  and  means  in  Kal  to 

buy  food  (comp.  ^ib  to  buy,  from  j;  m^n.  i"_x,c  corn),  1111)11. 
to  sell  food  (comp.  I?T  to  buy,  Pa.  to  sell) ;  in  5CZ^  however 
Kal  is  used  with  the  meaning  of  Hijih.  Notwithstanding 
this  sale  the  famine  increased ;  the  i^wpf.  cons.  Pl.nrii  has  a  con- 
trastive  meaning  as  at  xix.  9  (comp.  the  pc?/.  cons.  Judg. 
xiii.  13).  On  the  hyperbole  pxn-?3  "all  the  world,"  see  on 
vii.  19.  ^DV"7X  is  intended  to  be  drawn  to  ^^^2.  Such  a 
common  famine  of  Egypt  and  the  neighbouring  countries  has 
often  occurred,  e.g.  in  the  years  1064  and  1199  of  our  era. 
The  monuments  also  testify  to  such  years  of  famine  (Brugsch, 
Histoire  cV  Egypte,  i.  p.  56).  The  danger  was  all  the  greater 
in  presence  of  the  condition  of  the  canal  and  irrigation  system 
of  Lower  Egypt.  Strabo  relates,  that  before  the  times  of  the 
Prefect  Petronius,  famine  broke  out  in  Egypt,  through  neglect 
of  the  waterworks,  when  the  ISTile  rose  only  eight  ells,  and 
that  eleven  ells  were  needed  for  a  specially  good  year,  while 
he  so  managed,  that  ten  ells  only  were  needed  for  the  best  of 
harvests,  and  that  eight  caused  no  scarcity. 

THE  FIRST  JOURNEY  OF  JOSEPH'S  BRETHREN  TO  EGYPT  WITHOUT 
BENJAMIN,  CII.  XLII. 

With  ch.  xlii.  begins  the  second  section  of  the  Toledoth  of 
Jacob,  extending  from  the  first  appearance  of  the  brothers  to 
Joseph's  discovery  of  himself,  ch.  xlv.  The  chief  narrator  in 
ch.  xliL  is  E ;  see  on  ver.  38.  Departure  to  Egyj^t  to  fetch 
provisions,  vv.  1-4  :  And  Jacob  saw  tliat  there  uris  food  in 
Egy2^t.  Then  Jacob  said  to  his  sons :  Whg  look  ye  one  npon 
another?  And  he  said:  Behold,  I  have  heaixl  that  tlicre  is 
food  in  Egypt ;  go  down  thither  and  buy  us  thence  food,  that 


308  GENESIS  XLII.  5-8. 

we  may  live  and  not  die.  Then  Joseph's  hrethren,  ten  of  them, 
went  down  to  buy  corn  from  Egypt.  But  Benjamin,  Joseph's 
hrother,  Jacoh  sent  not  ivith  them,  for  he  said  :  Zest  peradven- 
ture  mischief  befall  him !  The  Hiihpahcl  nxinn  IJ  is  a 
reflexive  of  reciprocal  meaning  (comp.  on  ii.  25):  to  look  at 
each  other  in  a  helpless,  inactive  manner.  n"'n  to  live,  ver. 
2 J,  is  as  frequently  (xliii.  8,  Num.  iv.  19)  equivalent  to 
remain  alive.  The  brethren  of  Joseph  to  the  number  of 
ten  go  down  to  the  land  of  the  Nile  valley.  So  many  go 
that  they  may  get  the  more  and  to  bring  away  the  more. 
mb'j?n  is  not  said  ;  the  translation  above  follows  the  accen- 
tuation. In  ^3S"ip^  4&  X"ip  =  mp  contingere,  as  at  ver.  38, 
xlix.  1,  Ex.  i.  10,  Lev.  x.  19;  comp.,  on  the  contrary, 
Gen.  xliv.  29.  Jacob  from  apprehension  keeps  back  his 
youngest,  and  now  also  his  only  son  by  EacheL  The  ten  now 
appear  before  Joseph,  and  are  recognised  by  him,  but  he  is 
not  recognised  by  them,  vv.  5-8  :  So  the  sons  of  Israel  came 
to  buy  among  those  that  came,  for  the  famine  was  in  the  land  of 
Canaan.  And  Joseph,  he  ivas  the  governor  over  the  land,  he  it 
was  who  sold  food  to  all  the  people  of  the  land.  Then  came  the 
brethren  of  Joseph  and  prostrated  themselves  before  him,  u'ith  the 
face  to  the  earth.  And  Josej)h  saw  his  hrethren  and  knew  them, 
but  he  made  himself  strange  towards  them  and  spoJce  roughly  to 
them,  and  said  to  them  :  Whence  come  ye  ?  They  said :  From 
the  land  of  Canaan,  to  buy  food.  Joseph  hnciv  his  hrethren,  but 
they  hncw  him  not.  They  appeared  before  Joseph  among  the 
many  whom  a  like  necessity  drove  to  Egypt,  and  fell  down 
before  him  with  their  faces  to  the  earth ;  for  lie  was  the  ^Y'? 
(a  word  occurring  elsewhere  only  in  Ezek.  and  Eccles.,  and  in 
Aramaic  in  Dan.  and  Ezra)  over  the  land  and  director  of  the 
sale  of  corn.  "  The  author,"  remarks  Kn.,  "  delights  in  testify- 
ing that  Joseph  was  the  lord  or  ruler  of  Egypt  (vv.  30,  35, 
xlv.  8  sq.  26,  xli.  40,  44),  and  it  almost  seems  as  if  the 
legend  of  the  Hyksos  were  transferred  in  the  Hebrew  tra- 
dition  to  the  Hebrews.     ^''Y^  is   the   same  word   as  Scdatis 


GENESIS  XLII,  9-17.  309 

or  Salitis,  the  name  of  the  first  ruler  of  the  Ilyksos  in  Egypt 
(Joseph,  c.  Apion.  i.  14  ;  Euseb.  Clir.  Arm.  i.  p.  224)."  Joseph 
at  once  recognised  his  brethren,  and  remembered  his  dreams 
with  respect  to  them :  the  sheaves  and  stars  bowing  down  to 
him  were  vividly  present  to  him  ;  but  they  did  not  recognise 
their  brother,  whom  they  had  not  seen  for  about  twenty  years, 
and  who  had  meantime  grown  up,  become  Egyptianized,  and 
raised  to  an  incredible  elevation.  He  also  studiously  dis- 
sembled before  them  (i?3  to  fix  one's  eyes  upon,  to  look 
keenly  at,  which  might  mean  both  recognition  and  non- 
recognition,  whence  the  Hithpahd  is  both  to  make  oneself 
known,  Prov,  xx.  11,  and  to  make  oneself  unknown,  like  the 
Niph.  Prov.  xxvi.  24),  spoke  to  them  T\yz'^  harshly  as  to 
matter  and  tone,  and  let  them,  who  said  they  came  from 
Canaan  and  yet  did  not  look  like  Canaanites,  feel  the  Egyptian 
mistrust  of  foreigners,  Joseph  accuses  them  of  being  spies, 
and  insists  upon  testing  the  truth  of  their  exculpation  by  their 
sending  for  their  youngest  brother,  vv,  9-17:  Then  Joseph 
remembered  his  dreams  ivhich  he  dreamed  concerning  them,  and 
said  unto  them  :  Ye  are  spies,  to  see  the  nakedness  of  the  land 
are  ye  come.  And  they  said:  Nay,  my  lord,  hut  to  huy  food 
are  thy  servants  come.  We  are  all  sons  of  one  man,  we  are 
honest  men,  thy  servants  have  never  been  spies.  And  he  said  to 
them :  Nay,  surely  to  see  the  nakedness  of  the  land  arc  ye  come. 
And  they  said :  Tvjelve  brethren,  sons  of  one  man  in  the  land  of 
Canaan  are  ive  thy  servants,  and  behold  the  youngest  is  at  tlie 
time  with  our  father,  and  one  is  not.  Then  said  Joseph  to 
them :  That  is  it  which  I  sjJcike  to  you  saying :  Ye  are  spies. 
Hereby  shall  ye  be  jJroved,  that  ye,  as  truly  as  Pharaoh  lives, 
shall  not  go  hence,  unless  your  younger  brother  comes  hither. 
Send  one  of  you,  that  he  may  fetch  your  brother ;  but  ye  shall 
be  imiorisoncd,  that  your  words  may  be  proved,  whether  there 
be  truth  with  you  or  not,  by  the  life  of  Pliaraoh  !  surely  ye  are 
spies.  And  lie  put  them  in  ward  three  days.  He  calls  them 
1^  ^r.P,  those  who  go  about  for  the  purpose  of  espionage,  a 


310  GENESIS  XLII.  9-17. 

more  ignoble  word  tlian  C^.J^  (those  who  go  about  for  the 
purpose  of  reconnoitring).  They  deny  it;  the  i  of  '^"''!'.r-^,'!.,  as  at 
xvii.  5b  =  ''^1  elsewhere  ("D^^  ""3).  Tlie  form  ^3n3  occurs  again 
in  the  Pent,  only  Ex.  xvi.  7,  8,  Num.  xxxii.  32,  and  out  of 
it  2  Sam.  xvii.  12,  Lam.  iii.  42.  They  bring  to  his  considera- 
tion, that  a  father  would  not  expose  so  many  of  his  children 
at  the  same  time  to  the  danger  of  acting  as  spies.  Joseph 
however  insists  that  they  have  come  to  see  the  nakedness  of 
the  land  (the  order  of  the  words  is  here  such  as  it  frequently  is 
in  interrogation,  Judg.  ix.  48,  Zech.  ii.  4,  ISTeh.  ii.  12).  In  ver. 
13  it  should  be  yiiv  l3n:N  D^nx  iby  D^Jt^'  (comp.  ver.  32),  the 
order  of  the  words  is  inverted  in  a  scarcely  possible  manner, 
or  else  a  separative  must  be  placed  at  yii]} :  Twelve  of  them 
are  thy  servants,  brethren  are  we.  Pi^n  (of  Benjamin)  is  a 
relative  designation  of  age  :  naiu  minor  (minimus).  To  say  np 
he  is  dead  instead  of  133''S  (like  v.  24),  goes  against  their  heart 
and  conscience.  Joseph  does  not  allow  his  accusation  to  be  as 
yet  silenced,  14&  '•mn  "it^x  xin  hoc  (neutrally,  as  at  xx.  16) 
est  quod  dixi ;  what  they  say  of  their  two  missing  brothers 
strengthens  the  suspicion,  to  which  he  is  giving  feigned 
expression.      By  what   he   at   once   adds   will  he   test  them 

(ina  according  to  ^.s^^,  properly  to  try  by  rubbing,  especially 

on  the  touch-stone),  he  swears  to  them  by  the  life  of  Pharaoh 
(Pharaoh  lives  =  as  truly  as  Pliaraoh  lives,  ''H  an  abbreviated 
■'H,  as  at  Lev.  xxv.  36)  that  they  shall  not  be  at  liberty  to  depart 
unless  they  procure  at  once  their  pretended  youngest  brother ; 
if  they  do  not  do  this,  they  are,  as  he  again  asserts  by  the  life 
of  Pharaoh,  really  C"?  Ew.  §  330&)  spies.  Hereupon,  in 
order  to  make  them  compliant,  he  puts  them  in  prison  for 
three  days  (fjDS,  like  Isa.  xxiv.  22  and  elsewhere).  The 
purpose  of  his  behaviour  to  them  is  not,  to  make  them  atone 
for  a  time  for  the  injustice  they  did  him,  but  to  find  out,  before 
he  becomes  to  them  an  actual  proof  of  Divine  mercy,  whetlier 
they  regard  themselves  as  deserving  of  Divine  punishment  for 


GENESIS  XLII.  18-22.  311 

the  crime  they  committed  against  hiii),  and  to  convince  him- 
self, before  he  grants  them  his  own  forgiveness,  that  the  other 
son  of  Eachel  has  not  experienced  like  injustice  at  their 
liands.  How  faithfully  is  the  constraint  delineated,  which 
Joseph  imposes  on  himself  by  speaking  so  roughly,  and  by 
concealing  bis  fellowsliip  with  them  in  tlie  worship  of  one 
God  under  the  oath  by  the  life  of  Pharaoh  !  One  feels  how 
much  his  words  contradict  the  feelings  of  his  heart.  On  the 
third  day  he  gives  a  milder  form  to  the  test  to  be  applied, 
vv.  18-20  :  And  Josei^h  said  to  them  on  the  third  day :  This 
do  and  live,  I  fear  God :  If  yc  are  honest  men,  let  one  of  your 
hrothers  remain  in  the  hoiise  of  your  'prison,  hut  go  ye,  carry 
food  for  the  famine  of  your  houses,  and  hring  your  youngest 
hrother  to  me,  so  shall  your  words  he  verified,  and  ye  shall  not 
die — and  they  did  thus.  On  the  two  imperatives  :  This  do  and 
live!  see  Ges.  §  130.  2,  and  on  in^^  CSN^X  (comp.  xliii.  14) 
instead  of  nnxn  (as  at  ver.  33),  Ges.  §  111.  2h.  The  other 
nine  are  to  take  home  the  corn  of  the  famine  of  their  houses, 
i.e.  for  the  famine  (Gen.  of  purpose  as  in  IPiT  "iDD  Isa. 
XXX.  23)  of  their  families,  and  to  return  with  their  youngest 
brother,  that  so  their  words  may  be  verified  and  they 
may  escape  death  (death  by  starvation,  not  the  })enal 
infliction  of  death,  to  which  the  pretended  harshness 
of  Joseph  nowhere  rises) ;  for  he  fears  God  and  will  not 
punish  on  mere  suspicion.  The  brethren  see  the  chastening 
hand  of  God  in  what  they  are  experiencing,  vv.  21,  22: 
And  they  said  one  to  another:  Truly  we  are  expiating  07i 
account  of  our  hrother,  the  distress  of  ichose  sotil  ice  saw,  tvhcn 
he  entreated  us  and  we  did  7iot  hear,  therefore  has  this  distress 
hefallen  us.  And  Beuhen  ansv>ered  them  saying :  Bid  I  not 
speak  to  you  saying :  Do  not  sin  against  the  hoy,  hut  you  did 
not  hear  me,  hehold  therefore  is  his  hlood  avenged.  From  ver. 
21  onwards  follows  the  more  particular  narration  of  what 
was  summarily  anticipated  in  p'^it-'Tl  ver.  20.  While  still 
standing  before  the  unknown  Joseph,  they  say  to  each  other, 


312  GENESIS  XLII.  23-28. 

that  they  are  expiating  the  crime  which  they  so  unmercifally 
committed  against  their  brother;  b2^  truly,  as  at  xvii.  19, 
Dtyx  making  expiation,  paying  (Ezra  x.  19),  elsewhere 
worthy  of  penance.  Eeuben  who,  as  was  related  in  ch. 
xxxvii.  from  U,  had  saved  Joseph's  life,  who  was  not 
present  when  he  was  sold,  and  must  therefore  have  thought 
him  dead  rather  than  still  alive,  answers  that  he  had  said  to 
them  in  vain :  Do  not  sin  O^^^nn  with  a  helping  Segol 
for  'iJ^pnri)  against  the  boy,  and  that  now  evidently  his 
blood  is  required,  i.e.  from  those  who  laid  violent  hands 
npon  him  (ix.  5).  Joseph  hears  it  and  weeps,  vv.  23,  24: 
And  they  knew  7iot  that  Joseph  understood  it,  for  the  interpreter 
was  betvjeen  them.  And  he  turned  himself  from  them  and  wept  ; 
then  he  returned  to  them  and  talked  with  them,  and  took  from 
them  Simeon  and  hound  him  hefore  their  eyes.  They  did  not 
know,  while  they  were  thus  talking  together,  that  Joseph 
nnderstood  them,  for  }'''?!?'!'  with  the  art.,  the  interpreter  usual 
in  such  cases,  was  between  them  (ni3''3,  like  xxvi.  28);  but 
he  well  understood  all,  and  withdrew  a  little  from  them 
and  wept.  Painful  remembrance  of  the  past,  thankfulness 
for  God's  gracious  dealings,  unextinguished  brotherly  affection 
and  joy  at  the  penitent  confession  he  had  just  heard — these 
were  the  emotions  which  found  vent  in  tears.  Then  returning 
to  them,  he  agreed  with  them  that  Simeon  (purposely  not 
Eeuben,  but  the  next  oldest)  should  remain  behind,  and  had 
him  bound  before  their  eyes.  His  provident  dismissal  of 
them  combined  with  a  fresh  test,  vv.  25-28:  Then  Joseph 
commanded,  and  their  vessels  loere  filled  tvith  corn,  and  he  had 
every  mans  money  put  again  into  his  sack,  and  provender  given 
them  for  the  journey,  and  so  it  ivas  done  to  them.  And  they 
laded  their  food  upon  their  asses  and  departed.  And  one 
opened  his  sack  to  give  his  ass  provender  at  the  resting-'place,  and 
saw  his  money,  and  hehold  it  lay  up>per7nost  in  his  sack.  And 
he  said  to  his  brethren :  My  money  is  restored,  and  hehold  there 
it  is  in  my  sack — then  their  heart  failed  them,  and  they  said 


GENESIS  XLir.  29-31.  313 

trcmVling  one  to  another:  What  hath  Elohim  done  to  vs? 
ii)^^b  might  follow  upon  l^'^l  25a,  but  the  two  possible  con- 
structions are  intermixed.  Dv?,  ^'\?^  and  ninri?:N  (which  latter 
is  the  prevailing  one  in  ch.  xliii.  sq.)  are  interchanged  as  the 
appellation  of  their  baggage.  The  mistakeable  '^Vl]  2  oh,  for 
which  after  ^^^.^P^l  we  should  rather  expect  li^'J^'l,  is  strange. 
Tims  they  laded  their  asses  with  their  corn  and  departed. 
There  were  then  already  caravansaries  or  khans  (the  former 
from  the  Pers.  ^l.--,  the  latter  from  the  Pers.  ^  or  <!uU-, 
which  both  mean  domus  and  especially  diversormm),  i.e.  sheds 
or  cart-houses  erected  on  the  desert  road.  Into  such  a  fo^ 
(as  at  Ex.  iv.  24  =  D'n-iK  jibn  Jer.  ix.  1)  they  entered.  But 
when  one  of  them  opened  his  sack  to  give  his  ass  provender, 
he  found  therein  his  money.  This  he  told  and  showed  it  to  his 
brethren  (nsn  ni]^  as  at  xxxviii.  24) — then  their  courage  failed 
them,  and  turning  trembling  to  each  other  (?X  T}n^  a  similar 
constr.  pregnane  to  xliii,  33,  Jer.  xxxvi.  16)  they  acknow- 
ledge, that  the  chastening  hand  of  God  is  at  work  in  the 
matter.  It  is  obvious  that  the  others  also  opened  -their 
sacks — perhaps  the  source  which  is  here  accommodated  to  ver. 
35  said  so  (Wellh.  Dillm.).  They  return  and  relate  their 
experiences,  vv.  29—34:  And  they  came  to  Jacob  their  father  to 
the  land  of  Canaan,  and  told  him  all  that  hadhapijencd  to  them, 
so.ying :  The  man,  the  lord  of  the  land,  s'pake  roughly  to  us  and 
took  lis  for  spies  of  the  country.  And  lue  said  to  him :  We  are 
honest  men,  we  loere  never  spies.  We  are  twelve  brethren,  sons 
of  our  father,  one  is  not,  and  the  youngest  is  now  with  our 
father  in  the  land  of  Canaan.  And  the  man,  the  lord  of  the 
land,  said  to  us :  Hereby  shall  I  knovj  that  ye  are  honest  men, 
leave  one  of  your  brctlircn  with  me  and  take  (corn)  for  the  need 
of  your  houses  and  depart.  And  bring  your  youngest  brother  to 
me,  so  shall  I  knovj  that  ye  are  no  spies,  hut  honest  men  ;  I  will 
give  you,  your  brother  and  ye  may  go  through  the  land.  On 
their  return  to  their  father,  they  related  to  him  all  that  had 
happened  to  them,  and  stated  that  everything  now  depended 


314  GENESIS  XLII.  35-38. 

upon  their  bringing  Benjamin  with  them.  3  1^*1  ver.  30  means 
placing  on  a  level ;  Ben-Naphtali  here  read  DvJiTps,  but  the 
text,  rcc,  which  follows  Ben-Asher,  has  Dv3"ia3  ;  the  former 
reading  is  favoured  by  1  Kings  x.  2  7.  In  33&  we  must  read 
with  the  LXX  D3n^3  \)2V^  13{^  nsi  (as  at  195),  for  that  ;nyi 
may  mean  the  needs  of  huuger  cannot  be  inferred  from 
passages  like  Neh,  ix.  15,  Ps.  Ixix.  22,  Ixxviii.  29.  In  34a 
the  second  ""S  has  regularly  the  meaning  of  imo.  "iriD  345  with 
an  accus.  as  at  xxxiv.  10,  21:  to  go  through.  A  startling 
surprise,  ver.  3  5  :  And  it  came  to  2^<^ss :  they  emptied  their 
sacks,  and  hehold  every  man's  bundle  of  money  was  in  his  sack ; 
and  they  sato  their  hundles  of  money,  they  and  their  father,  and 
they  were  afraid.  The  discovery  of  one  at  the  nightly  resting- 
place  was  now  repeated  in  the  case  of  all.  On  iEp3""ii"iV  c^''tf  = 
^''^  Fip3""in>*,  see  on  ix.  5.  'iSIH  and  ^^<■J"'!'!l  is  an  obvious  and 
frequent  play  upon  the  sound.  The  complaint  of  Jacob,  ver. 
3  6  :  Then  Jaeob  their  father  said  unto  them :  Me  have  ye 
bereaved  of  children;  Joseph  is  not,  and  Simeon  is  not,  and 
ye  would  take  Benjamin  away ;  all  comes  ^ipon  me.  The 
perf.  Drir?^  refers  to  Joseph,  Simeon,  and  in  anticipation  of 
the  worst  to  Benjamin.  n:p3  for  I?3,  as  at  Prov,  xxxi.  29, 
comp.  the  forms  xxi.  29,  Ex.  xxxv.  26.  Eeuben's  voluntary 
pledge,  ver.  37  :  Then  Reuhen  spake  to  his  father  saying  :  My 
two  sons  shall  thou  kill,  if  I  do  not  bring  him  home  to  thee  ;  trust 
him  to  me,  and  I  will  bring  him  back.  He  offers  his  two  sons 
as  a  pledge  (at  the  migration  to  Egypt  he  had  four).  "  Give 
him  to  my  hand,"  i.e.  entrust  him  to  me  (as  at  1  Sam.  xvii.  22). 
Jacob  however  has  no  ear  for  this,  ver.  3 8  :  He  said :  My  son 
shall  not  go  doiun  with  you,  for  his  brother  is  dead,  and  he  alone 
is  left ;  and  if  mischief  befall  him  by  the  way  that  you  go,  you 
ivould  bring  down  my  grey  hairs  with  sorroiv  to  the  grave. 
The  complaint  is  repeated,  evidently  from,  the  same  source,  at 
xliv.  29-31,  and  certainly  from  the  same  source  as  the  similar 
complaint  at  xxxvii.  35,  viz.  from  J.  It  is  evident  how  the 
first  journey  to  Egypt  terminated  in  J,  from  the  repetition 


GENESIS  XLIir,  1-5.  315 

xliii.  3-7,  xliv.  20-2G,  whence  Wellh.  and  Dillm.  conclude  that 
the  retention  of  Simeon  as  a-  hostage  was  not  mentioned  in  the 
Jahvistic  account.  The  account  in  eh.  xlii.  is  as  to  its  main 
features  from  E,  but  with  insertions  from  J,  to  whom  ver.  38 
certainly  belongs.  If  this  verse  is  taken  as  an  answer  to  Reuben's 
offer,  as  it  stands  here,  the  circumstance  of  Jacob's  omission 
of  all  mention  of  Simeon  furnishes  of  itself  no  critical  conclu- 
sion,— it  is  explained  by  his  preference  for  the  son  of  Rachel;  the 
one  threatened  loss  banishes  every  other  from  his  consciousness. 

SECOND  JOURNEY  OF  JOSEPH'S  BRETHREN  WITH  BENJAMIN  TO 
EGYPT,  CH.  XLIII. 

This  portion  of  the  narrative  gives  from  first  to  last  the 
impression  of  being  from  J.  Supposing  that  this  narrator  did 
not  mention  the  retention  of  Simeon  as  a  hostatre,  vv.  14, 
23&  appear  as  insertions  from  E  (Dillm.).  For  the  rest,  all  is 
of  one  cast  and  a  genuine  model  of  tlie  Jahvistic  style.  Not 
very  long  time  elapses  before  a  fresh  purchase  of  corn  becomes 
a  pressing  necessity,  vv.  1,  2  :  And  the  famine  was  sore  in  the 
land.  And  it  came  to 'pass,  ivlien  they  had  consumed  the  corn 
vjhich  they  had  hronght  from  Egypt,  their  father  said,  unto  them  : 
Go  again,  hvy  us  a  little  food.  Everything  corresponds  as  to 
style  with  J:  *i?3  like  e.g.  xii.  10  ;  p  n?3  like  xviii.  33,  xxiv. 
15  and  elsewhere  ;  t^yo  (a  little),  like  xviii.  4,  xxiv.  17,  43 — a 
little  food,  for  however  much  they  might  get,  it  will  be  but  little 
in  proportion  to  the  need.  Judah  declares  that  they  are  willing 
to  go,  but  not  without  Benjamin,  vv.  3—5  :  And  Judah  spake 
to  him,  saying :  Tlie  man  p)rotcsted,  yea  pirotcsted  to  us  saying: 
Ye  shall  not  see  my  face,  unless  your  brother  he  with  you.  If 
thou  wilt  consent  to  send  our  brother  with  us,  toe  will  go  clown 
and  buy  thee  food ;  but  if  thou  wilt  not  consent,  we  will  not  go 
down,  for  the  man  said  unto  us:  Ye  shall  not  see  my  face,  unless 
your  brother  he  icith  you.  The  man  (this  ^''^'i}  used  of  Joseph 
is  repeated  in  a  striking  manner  farther  on,  and  he  is  generally 


316  GENESIS  XLIII.  6-10. 

called  c'^xn  and  □"c^jsn),  says  Judali,  expressly  declared  (niy  to 
repeat,  Hiph.  to  say  again  and  again)  that  he  would  not 
suffer  them  to  appear  before  him  unless  (^^"^  mostly  procter, 
here  mst,  as  at  Ex,  xxii.  19)  Benjamin  were  with  them. 
Judah,  from  forbearance  for  his  aged  father,  gives  the  mildest 
statement  of  what  Joseph  had  said.  Jacob's  reproach,  the 
justification  of  the  brethren,  and  Judah's  pledge,  vv.  6-10: 
Tlun  Israel  said :  Mlicrrfore  have  you  done  me  this  evil,  to 
inform  the  man  whether  you  had  yet  a  brother  ?  Bat  they  said : 
The  man  inquired,  yea  inquired  after  lis  and  our  family  sayiny : 
Is  your  father  yet  alive  ?  Have  ye  another  brother  ?  And  we 
told  him  according  to  these  words — could  we  then  know  that  he 
would  say :  Bring  your  brother  down  ?  And  Judah  said  to 
Israel  his  father :  Send  the  hoy  with  me,  and  ive  will  arise  and 
depart,  that  we  may  live  and  not  die,  both  we  and  thou  and  our 
children.  I  will  be  surety  for  him,  of  my  hand  shalt  thou 
require  him  ;  if  I  bring  him  not  to  thee  again  and  set  him  before 
thee,  I  will  be  guilty  before  thee  for  ever.  For  if  we  had  not 
delayed,  we  should  have  already  returned  tiuice.  The  reproachful 
no?  has  the  tone  upon  the  ultima,  by  reason  of  the  following 
aspirate.  The  interrogative  n  stands  6&  ("whether  yet ")  in  an 
indirect  question,  as  at  viii.  8.  They  answered  him  as  they 
were  obliged  to  do,  according  to  his  questions  (^^''^V,  as  at  Ex. 
xxxiv.  27,  Lev.  xxvii.  8,  18,  Num.  xxvi.  56,  Deut.  xvii.  10). 
With  7&  comp.  Jer.  xiii.  12;  yni  has  here  a  past  meaning 
by  reason  of  the  historical  connection.  In  ver.  8  sqq.  Judah 
again  entreats  his  father,  in  consideration  of  the  starvation 
with  which  they  are  threatened,  to  send  Benjamin  with  them  ; 
he  will  be  surety  for  him,  and  will,  if  he  does  not  bring  him 
back,  bear  the  guilt  of  it  all  his  life  Crixum,  as  at  1  Kings 
i.  21).  nrij;-"'3  (surely  then)  stands  in  the  apodosis  of  the 
conditional  sentence  as  at  xxxi.  42,  Num.  xxii.  29,  33, 
1  Sam,  xiv.  30,  Job  iii.  13.  With  this  last  saying  Judah 
cuts  the  knot  asunder.  Israel  submits  to  the  inevitable,  but 
at  once  knows  also  how  to  gain  composure  in  God  and  to  act 


GENESIS  XLIII.  11-14.  317 

wisely  under  the  circumstances,  vv.  11-14:  Then  their 
father  Israel  said  unto  them :  If  there  is  nothing  else,  then  do 
this.  Take  of  the  cutting  of  the  land  in  your  vessels,  and  take 
it  doum  for  a  2^^'cscnt  to  the  man,  a  little  halsam  and  a  little 
honey,  tragacanth  and  ladanum,  2}istaehio  nuts  and  almonds. 
And  taJce  double  money  in  your  hand,  also  the  money  returned 
ill  the  top  of  your  sacks  take  hack  in  your  hand,  perhaps  it  was 
an  oversight.  And  take  your  brother  and  arise,  go  back  to  the 
man.  And  God  Almighty  give  you  mercy  before  the  man,  that 
he  may  release  to  you  your  other  brother  and  Benjamin  ;  but  as 
for  me,  let  me  be  childless  if  I  am  to  he  so  !  t^i2?<,  though  stand- 
ing with  the  conditional  sentence,  logically  belongs  to  the 
imperative,  comp.  xxvii.  37,  Job  ix.  24,  xxiv.  25.  It  is 
remarkable  that  pb  is  never  used  in  ch,  xliii.,  and  that  ni^Jiipj? 
always  (six  times)  stands  instead.  I'lX'^  ^T^-IP  is  generally 
translated  :  Of  the  prize,  i.e.  the  choicest  productions  of  the 
country ;  so  highly  poetic  an  expression  is  however  the  more 
strange,  since  the  ancient  custom  of  the  language  always  uses 
-iOT  and  its  derivatives  exclusively  with  reference  to  Divine 
worship,  and  only  T'ty  in  a  wider  sense  (see  Malbim  on  Ps. 
ci.  1) — hence  J^'J'pt  from  ipT  to  pluck  off  the  portion  =  produce, 
will  here  mean  that  which  is  cut  off  before  the  harvest  =: 

catting.  Dillm.  compares  the  Arab.^^  (fruits,  LXX  airo 
TO)v  Kapirwv  t^9  7>'}9),  Dav.  H.  Miiller  (in  Ges.  Lex.  10th  edit., 
p.  983)  the  Aramaic  y^j  mirari,  hence  mirabilia  (syn.  Arab. 
'agdib).  On  ''"'V,  nxb:,  \5b  see  xxxvii.  25,  where  these  three 
spices  are  mentioned  as  caravan  wares.     They  are  also  to  take 

with    tliem   t;'?T  =  ^j^i^,  Van  to   be   compressed,   thickened, 

grape  syrup,  i.e.  must,  boiled  down  to  a  third  of  its  quantity, 
of  which  three  hundred  camel  loads  are  still  annually  sent  to 
Egypt  from  the  neighbourhood  of  Hebron.  ^*^P^  pistaccio 
nuts,  as  Samar.  Eashi,  Tavus  translate,  the  almond-like  fruit  of 
the  Pistacia  vera,  Talm.  "^^^^3,  ^^^'P^S,  LXX  repe^ivdov,  cer- 
tainly with  the  same  meaning,  since  boin,  Ai-ab.  loim,  in  the 


318  GENESIS  XLIII.  15-17. 

later  usage  of  language  designated  both  Fistacia  terehinthus 
and  Fistacia  vera,  and  ^^"^.P!^  almonds,  the  fruit  of  the  Amyg- 
dalus  communis,  which  was  more  rare  in  Egypt.  They  were 
moreover  to  take  double  money  with  them,  that  which  was 
required  for  new  purchases,  and  that  first  purchase  money, 
which  certainly  had  come  back  to  them  only  through  an  over- 
sight (riLj'^iJsn  according  to  the  Masora  with  Pathach  instead  of 
Kametz).  The  combination  ^?.^V  ^P?  is  appositional,  as  at  Ex. 
xvi,  22  ;  comp.  ^?.?"'"'.5yP  ver.  15,  the  double  in  money  (ace.  of 
the  more  exact  definition,  Ges.  §  118.  3),  as  at  Deut.  xv.  18, 
Jer.  xvii.  18.  Jacob's  speech  continues  to  ver.  14,  as  might  be 
expected  ;  but  perhaps  here  the  expression  of  resignation,  as  it 
was  found  in  U  (comp.  xlii.  36),  is  preferred.  The  other  brother, 
"inx  DDN's:  for  "^nsn,  as  at  xlii.  19,  comp.  33,  is  Simeon,  who  was 
left  as  a  hostage.  The  concluding  words  are  the  expression  of 
submission  to  the  unalterable,  comp.  Esth.  iv.  1  6  with  2  Kings 
viii.  4.  Ges.  §  126.  5,  elsewhere  an  expression  of  the  aimless, 
2  Sam.  XV.  20,  1  Sam.  xxiii.  13,  or  of  the  boundless,  Zech.  x.  8. 
"Pp^^  has  a  pausal  a  from  o  as  in  T^%  ^'^^l  and  Ti?  for  TjJ  xlix.  3, 
fpD\  for  ^I'-IlD:  xlix.  27,  Ew.  §  93.  3,  comp.  Hitzig  on  Isa. 
lix.  17.  Journey  and  arrival,  ver.  15  :  And  the  men  took 
this  present,  and  doidtle  money  toolc  they  in  their  hand,  and 
Benjamin,  and  they  arose  and  loent  doivn  to  Egypt  and  stood 
hefore  Joseph.  With  PP'??""?!]  comp.  xxi.  14  'i.^,*^""?] ;  Ben- 
jamin was  then  somewhat  over  twenty  years  of  age.  When 
Joseph  saw  him  and  was  thus  convinced  that  the  brothers  had 
done  him  no  violence,  he  prepared  a  solemn  reception  for  them, 
vv.  16,  17  :  Wlie7i  Joseph  saiv  Benjamin  with  them,  he  said  to  the 
steward  of  his  house  :  Bring  the  men  into  the  house  and  slay  cattle 
and  make  ready,  for  the  men  shall  dine  with  me  at  noon.  And 
the  man  did  as  Joseph  had  said,  and  brought  the  men  into  Joseph's 
house.  Instead  of  nntp  nnip  we  have  nnn  nhl2  dissimilarly 
vocalized.  Meat  formed  in  Egypt  also  a  main  element  of 
food  at  both  priestly  and  royal  tables  (Herod,  ii.  37,  77). 
Their    fear  when    brought    in,  and   how  it  was  allayed,  vv. 


GENESIS  XLIII.  18-25.  319 

18-25:  Then  the  men  were  afraid,  when  they  were  Irought 
into  Joseph's  house,  and  said :  Because  of  the  money  that  was 
returned  in  our  saeks  the  former  time  are  ive  brought  in,  that 
they  may  roll  upon  tts  and  attack  ^ls  and  take  us  for  slaves, 
together  with  our  asses.  And  they  came  near  to  the  man  that 
was  placed  over  Joseph's  house  and  spoke  to  him,  at  the  entry 
of  the  house,  and  said :  Oh,  my  lord,  we  came  doivn  once  before 
to  buy  corn.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  we  came  to  the  resting- 
place  and  opened  our  sacks,  behold  the  money  of  each  was  at  the 
top  of  his  sack,  our  money  according  to  its  weight ;  noio  loe  bring 
it  back  in  our  hand.  And  other  money  have  we  brought  with 
us  in  our  hand,  to  buy  corn;  we  do  not  know  who  put  our 
money  in  our  sacks.  And  he  said:  Be  of  good  courage,  fear 
not,  your  and  your  fathers  God  has  given  you  treasure 
in  your  sacks,  your  money  came  to  rue.  And  he  brought  out 
Simeon  to  them.  And  the  man  brought  the  men  into  Joseph's 
house  and  gave  them  ivater,  and  they  washed  their  feet,  and  he 
gave  their  asses  p)rovender.  And  they  made  ready  the  present, 
before  Joseph  came  at  noon,  for  they  had  heard  that  they  should 
eat  with  him.  By  n^nn  tliey  mean  tlieir  first  (previous) 
Egyptian  journey.  Instead  of  3C'>?^ri  12&  we  here  Lave 
-t^''^,  which  better  expresses  that  the  How  is  to  them  un- 
known aud  incomprehensible.  Because  they  fear  to  be  treated 
as  embezzlers  of  others'  property  (the  accusation  of  being 
spies  is  out  of  question),  they  seek  to  prevent  what  they  fear, 
by  explaining  the  state  of  affairs  to  the  steward  at  the  door 
of  the  house,  which  they  so  dread  to  enter.  At  the  place 
of  halting  for  the  night,  they  discovered  to  their  terror  the 
purchase  money  returned  in  their  corn-sacks  (for  these  must, 
xlii.  27  sq.,  be  completed  according  to  the  meaning  of  J ; 
comp.,  on  the  other  hand,  xlii.  35).  The  steward  discreetly 
gives  a  wise  and  kind  answer :  Peace  be  to  you,  i.e.  lay  aside 
your  care  and  anxiety,  I  had  your  money  quite  right,  hence 
what  you  found  is  a  treasure  given  you  by  your  God  {ph'^ 
23?  in  the  0.  T.  always  expresses  encouragement  and  con- 


320  GENESIS  XLIII.  26-31. 

gratulation,  in  later  Hebrew,  as  in  Aram,  and  Arab.,  greet- 
ing).     He  then  brought  Simeon  out  to  them,  led  them  into 
Joseph's  house,  and  showed  himself  ready  to  serve  them  in 
various  ways.      They  were  now  expecting  Joseph,  with  whom, 
as  they  heard  and  also  believed,  they  were  to  dine  at  noon, 
and  they  laid  out  their  present  to  the  best  advantage  (outside 
in  the  hall).     The  meeting    before   the   repast,  vv.   26-31  : 
When  Joseph  came  home,  they  hroiight  him  the  'present,  which 
they  had   hrought   with    them,  into  the  house,  and  cast  them- 
selves doivn  to   the  ground.      And  Joseph  ashed  them  of  their 
vjelfare,  and  said :  Is  your  aged  father,  of  whom  you  spake,  well, 
is  he  still  alive  ?      They  said :    Thy  servant,  our  father,  is  well, 
he  is  still  alive  ;  and  they  hoivcd  and  made  oheisanee.     And  he 
lifted  up  his  eyes  and  saw  Benjamin  his  hrother,  his  mother's 
son,  and  said :  Is  this  your  youngest  hrother  of  whom  ye  spake  ? 
And   he   said :  Elohim  he  gracious   to   thee,   my  son  ! — Tlicn 
Joseph  made  haste,  for  his  affection  was  kindled  for  his  hrother, 
and  he  was  forced  to  lucep,  and  he  went  into  the  inner  room  and 
wept  there.      Then  he  washed  his  face,  came  out,  restrained  him- 
self and  said :  Set  on  the  meal  !     The  present  which  was  Q"|^3 
v/as,  according  to  xxiv.   10,  xxxv.   4,  what  they  had  brought 
with  them,  and  this  they  made  ready  for  presentation.     'is''3''l 
has  Mappik  in  the  N  that  it  may  be  plainly  pronounced  as  a 
consonant;  this  occurs   also  Lev.  xxiii.   17,  Job  xxxiii.   21, 
Ezra  viii.    18,  Olsh.   §    Z2d.     The    reverential   salutation   is 
designated  as  at  xviii.  2,  xix.  1  and  frequently,  and  is  at   286 
combined   with    ^lip'l  as   at  xxiv.    26,    48.     When   he    sees 
Benjamin,  his  brother  by  the  same  mother,  he  makes  inquiry, 
but  without  waiting  for  an  answer  greets  him  with  a  hearty : 
"Elohim  be  gracious  to  thee,  my  son  "  ("^in^  like  Isa.  xxx.  19 
for  ^3n^,  Ew.  §  251<^).      He  was  obliged,  while  thus  speaking, 
to   hasten,  for — such    is   the  literal  meaning  of    30« — his 
bowels  1''?-^7->  LXX  eyKara  (evrepa),  here  equivalent  to  organs 
of  feeling  =  feelings  (as  at   1    Kings   iii.   26,  Prov.  xii.   10, 
comp.  Isa.   Ixiii.    15,    Syr.  rahne  =  airXdyxi^a    2    Mace,   ix. 


GENESIS  XLIII.  32-34.  321 

5  sq.),  were  glowing  (for  which  Syr.  oX-t  i.e.  i^j'?jn3  or  li^bljnx 
they  rolled  themselves,  DMZ.  xxvi.  800,  but  see  on  Job  iii.  5), 
i.e.  he  was  overpowered  by  sympathetic  affection  and  "he  sought 
to  weep,"  i.e.  felt  an  irresistible  impulse  to  do  so  (comp.  a  similar 
active  expression  for  strong  emotion,  Isa.  xiii.  8«),  and  went 

rrinnn  into  a  chamber  (iin,  ,jk^  from  "i^n  to  retire,  to  hide)  and 

there  gave  vent  to  his  tears.  Then  he  washed  his  face,  came 
back  again,  and,  controlling  his  feelings,  commanded  the 
repast  to  be  served.  The  feast,  and  the  preference  shown 
thereat  to  Benjamin,  vv.  32-34:  And  they  set  on  for  him 
apart  and  for  them  apart,  and  for  the  Egyptians  loho  ate  loith 
him  apart,  for  the  Egyptians  cannot  eat  with  the  Hebrews,  for 
that  is  esteemed  an  abomination  hy  the  Egyptians.  And  they 
Slit  Ifore  him,  the  first-born  according  to  his  birthright  and 
the  younger  according  to  his  youth,  so  that  they  looked  one  at 
another  astonished.  And  they  took  messes  to  them  from  him, 
and  Benjamin's  mess  loas  five  times  greater  than  that  of  any  of 
them,  and  they  drank  and  were  full  in  his  company.  Joseph, 
as  the  illustrious  head  of  the  priestly  order,  was  served 
apart,  and  the  sons  of  Jacob  and  the  Egyptians  who  ate 
vvitli  them  apart,  because  Egyptians  could  not,  i.e.  might 
not,  eat  with  Hebrews ;  this  |v3V  ^<?  (the  form  of  the  impf. 
encrgicum  having  slipped  in)  is  Jahvistico-Deuteronomic,  sp 
bsin,  used  of  moral  impossibility,  running  through  the  whole 
of  Deut.  :  xii.  17,  xvi.  5,  xvii.  15,  xxi.  16,  xxii.  3,  19,  29, 
xxiv.  4,  comp.  Ex.  xix.  23.  t^in  refers  to  eating  with 
foreigners  in  general,  which  ancient  Egypt  repudiated  both 
from  superstition  and  national  pride,  Diodor.  Sic.  i.  67,  even 
their  knives,  forks,  and  crockery  were  avoided  as  defiled 
through  their  participation  of  sacred  animals,  Herod,  ii.  41, 
comp.  Ex.  viii.  22,  much  more  eating  in  common  with  the 
shepherd  people  of  the  Hebrews.  Thus  then  they  sat  before 
him  arranged  from  the  first-born  down  to  the  youngest, 
exactly  according   to    their    respective    ages,  at  which  they 

VOL.  II.  X 


322  GENESIS  XLIV. 

looked  at  each  other  with  the  greatest  astonishment  (b^  ^pj^ 
like  ^^  T^n  xlii.  28).  nixb'D  is  meant  of  messes  for  guests 
of  honour,  whom  the  entertainer  pointed  out.  i^^*}.  "  they 
bore,"  has  an  unnamed  subject,  as  is  usual  where  the 
servants  in  waiting  are  intended  {e.g.  xxiv.  33  in  J,  in 
opposition  to  which  b'yi  they  did,  xlii.  25,  which  may  be  from 
U).  Benjamin's  mess  was  five  times  greater  (comp.  the 
occurrence  of  this  number  with  respect  to  Egyptian  matters, 
xli.  34,  xlv.  22,  xlvii.  2,  24,  Isa.  xix.  18)  than  the  mess  of 
any  of  the  others,  just  as  the  kings  in  Sparta  were  served  with 
double  portions,  but  ov'^  Xva  SiTrXdata  KaTa(f)d<yoiev  (Xen.  de 
rep.  Laced,  xv.  4).  The  brothers  drank  and  were  drunk  (to  be 
understood  in  the  sense  of  Hagg.  i.  6),  iisy  feeling  themselves 
at  ease  in  his  presence.  The  anxiety  of  conscience,  which  they 
experienced  at  the  sight  of  the  strange  Egyptian  lord,  was  now 
lost  in  a  heartfelt  delight,  which  was  to  them  as  inexplicable. 
But  Joseph,  the  unknown  and  yet  so  well  known,  who  has 
the  key  to  the  mystery,  delights  himself  in  the  intoxicating 
rapture  of  these  dearest  of  all  guests,  whom  the  LOED  has 
brought  him,  and  praises  that  wonderful  leading  of  God,  the 
glory  of  which  beams  upon  him  from  their  happy  faces. 

THE  LAST  TEST,  CH.  XLIV. 

Yet  one  last  trial  is  inflicted  by  Joseph  upon  his  brethren. 
He  has  convinced  himself  that  they  have  not  done  external 
violence  to  Benjamin  as  they  did  to  himself,  but  he  desires 
to  be  finally  assured  that  the  hardness  of  heart  and  want  of 
feeling,  which  had  formerly  plunged  their  father  into  the 
deepest  grief  for  his  child  have  now  passed  away,  and  that  a 
similar  deed  is  impossible  to  them.  The  pastor-like  spiritual 
wisdom  with  which  he  masters  his  natural  feelings,  to  tread 
with  them  the  way  of  God,  is  admirable.  The  mode  of 
delineation  is  like  that  of  ch.  xliii. ;  J  is  unmistakeable,  and 
his  text  is  here  without  admixture. 


GENESIS  XLIV.   1-6. 


5^  •)  *? 


The  bretliren  are  dismissed  with  full  sacks  and  with 
Joseph's  Clip,  vv.  1-3  :  And  he  commanded  the  stcicard  of  his 
house  saying :  Fill  the  sacks  of  the  men  with  food,  as  much  as 
ihey  can  carry,  and  put  every  mans  money  at  the  top  in  his 
sack.  And  my  eup,  my  silver  cup,  place  at  the  top  in  the  sack 
of  the  youngest,  and  his  corn  money  !  And  he  did  according  to 
the  saying  of  Joseph,  lohieh  he  spake.  The  morning  became 
light  and  the  men  vjcre  sent  away,  they  and  their  asses.  In 
this  portion  of  the  narrative  also  nnripx  is  used  throughout 
for  pb',  and  ^3X  (here  and  ver.  25,  as  at  xliii.  2,  20,  22)  for 
"13;  the  energetic  imperfect  form  |v3V,  as  at  xliii.  32,  is  also 
characteristic  of  J.  What  is  aimed  at  is  to  accuse  them  of 
theft.  The  superabundance  of  what  they  get  for  their 
money  will  stamp  the  theft  of  the  silver  cup  as  all  the  more 
glaring  a  crime.  An  eventual  abandonment  of  Benjamin  was 
deprived  of  all  shadow  of  justification,  by  the  fact  that 
property  not  belonging  to  them  was  found  in  the  sacks  of 
all.  The  juxtaposition  :  the  morning  became  light  (lix  Ges. 
§  72,  note  1)  and  the  men  are  sent  away  is  similar  to  xix. 
23  in  J";  it  is  the  syntactic  scheme  of  the  contemporaneous 
which  we  already  met  with  in  Q,  vii.  6.  The  pursuit  and 
accusation,  vv.  4-6  :  They  were  just  gone  out  of  the  city  and 
were  not  yet  far  off,  when  Joseph  said  to  the  steivard  of  his  house  : 
Up,  follow  after  the  men,  and  when  thou  hast  overtaken  them, 
say  to  them  :  Wlicrcfore  have  ye  returned  good  for  evil  ?  Is 
not  this  it,  out  of  lohich  my  lord  drinketh,  and  hy  tvhich  he  is 
accustomed  to  predict  ?  An  evil  deed  have  ye  done  therein. 
He  overtook  them  and  said  these  words  to  them,  ^a  is  likewise 
the  scheme  of  the  contemporaneous.  The  city  is  left 
unnamed  ;  it  would  have  been  Zo'an  (Tanis)  if  the  Hyksos  had 
then  been  ruling  in  Egypt,  which,  as  we  have  seen  on  ch.  xl., 
is  improbable.  Hence  we  shall  have  to  regard  it  as  Memphis, 
as  Kn.  also  thinks,  though  as  the  supposed  capital  of  the 
Hyksos.  HT  5«  refers  to  the  cup ;  he  purposely  does  not  add 
rp-T',  he  is  certain  of  the  fact  of  the  theft,  and  takes  it  for 


324  GENESIS  XLIV.  7-13. 

granted  that  they  will  know  what  is  in  question.  On  3  nr\'\y 
to  drink  in  =  to  drink  out  of  anything,  see  Ges.  154.  oa. 
By  the  second  in  is  meant,  that  by  looking  into  this  cup  he 
was  accustomed  to  investigate  mysteries  (t^'nj  divinarc  olwvi- 
^eo-^at,  as  the  LXX  translates  here  and  xxx.  27).  In  Egypt, 
the  land  of  soothsaying  and  magic  (Isa.  xix.  3,  Kiddushin 
49Z/),  hydromancy,  i.e.  predicting  from  the  appearances  pre- 
sented by  the  liquid  contents  of  a  goblet  {KvXiKOfiavreLO),  a 
dish  (XevKavo/iavTeia),  or  some  other  vessel,  either  alone  or 
with  something  thrown  into  it,  was  customary.  The  cup, 
which  is  described  to  the  men  as  Joseph's  favourite  cup  and 
as  a  sacred  vessel,  is  called  T??  from  its  calyx-shaped  form  ;  it 
was  a  Ki/3a)pLov  like  the  Egyptian  goblets  which  narrowed 
downwards  (Athcn.  xi.  p.  477,  comp.  DUhjmus  Chalcenter.  ed. 
Schmidt,  p.  75).  Their  offer,  and  the  terrible  and  surprising 
discovery,  vv.  7—13:  And  tlicy  send  to  him:  Wliercfore 
speaheth  my  lord  such  things?  Far  he  it  from  thy  servants  to 
do  such  a  ihiny  !  Wc  brought  hack  to  thee  from  the  land  of 
Canaan  money  which  we  found  (d  the  top  of  our  sacks,  how 
."ihoidd  we  then  steal  silver  or  gold  out  of  thy  lord's  Jwuse  ?  With 
whomsoever  of  thy  servants  it  is  found,  let  him  die,  and  let  us 
also  he  henceforth  hondmcn  to  my  lord.  Tlien  he  said :  Now 
then,  as  ye  have  said,  so  let  it  he :  he  with  whom  it  is  foitnd 
shall  he  my  hondman,  and  ye  sliall  he  free  of  punishment. 
Then  they  hastened  and  let  down  each  his  sack  upon  the  ground, 
and  opened  each  his  sack.  And  he  searched;  he  hegan  at  the  eldest 
and  ended  at  the  youngest,  and  the  cup  was  found  in  Benjamin's 
sack.  Then  they  rent  their  garments,  and  each  laded  his  ass,  and 
they  returned  to  the  city.  Earlier  Jahvistic  portions  furnish 
parallel  expressions  to  all  and  everything  here,  e.g.  to  the 
repudiating  ^''X  xxxix.  9.  We  should  expect  ^D3'!i  (Samar.) 
instead  of  ^D3  at  8a,  but  it  is  not  necessary  (comp.  the  trans- 
lation above).  In  10a  D2  is  placed  first,  though  it  logically 
belongs  to  a  following  member  of  the  sentence  as  at  1  Sam. 
xii.    IG,   Hos.   vi.    11,    Zech.    ix.    11,   Job    ii.    10.      Joseph's 


GENESIS  XLIV.  14-34.  32 D 

steward   does  not   wish    to   be    so  liarsli,   but  to  deal   more 
gentl}'.      With  ready  alacrity  tliey  assisted  him  in  the  search, 
Mhicli    he    effected    according    to    their   ages,  and   they    may 
have  been  already  triumphing,  that  tlieir  innocence  was  mani- 
fested, when  the  cup  was  at  last  found  in  Benjamin's  sack. 
Then  they  rent  their  garments,  reloaded  their  asses,  and  in- 
stead of  leaving  Benjamin  behind  as  a  bondman,  return  to  tlie 
city.      On  their  arrival  they  all  desired  to  share  the  fate  of 
Benjamin,   vv.    14-17:    Tlicn   JudaJi    and  his   brethren  ivcnt 
into  Joseph's  house,  and  he  was  still  there,  and  they  fell  hefure 
him  on   the  ground.      And    Josrjih    said   unto    them :     What 
deed  is  this  that  ye  have  done  ?     Did  ye  not  hioiv  that  sueh 
a   man  as   I  can   divine?     And    Judah    said:     What   shall 
■ice   say   to   my   lord,   what  shall  vjc    speak,   or  how   shall   we 
clear   ourselves?      God   hath   laid  hold  of  the  iniquity  of  thy 
servants,  and  ux  are  noiv  bondmen   to  my  lord,  both  ive  and 
he  in  whose  hand  the  cup  ivas  found.     But  lie  said :  Far  be  it 
from  me  to  do  thus.      The  man  in  ivhose  hand  the  cvp  was 
found,  let  him  be  my  bondman,   and  as  for  you,  go  up  henec 
in  peace  to  your  father  I     Judah  is  placed  foremost,  because 
he  had  become  surety  for  Benjamin.      They  find  Josepli,  who 
was  expecting  tliem,  in  a  state  of  anxious  suspense,  still  in  the 
house.     He  addresses  them  harsldy  :  they  might  surely  have 
known  that  a  man  like  himself  would  know  how  to  find  out 
what  is  concealed  and  would  soon  discover  their  deed.     Judali 
does  not  contradict  the  accusation,  the  proof  is  overwhelming. 
He  sees  therein  the  hand  of  God,  who  is  thus  laying  hold 
of   and  visiting  upon  them  the  still  unavenged  crime  they 
committed  against   their  brother.      Josepli  however  does  not 
admit  that  they  ought  all  to  become  his  bondmen,  he  will 
only  retain  Benjamin,  the  really  guilty  one,  and  the  rest  shall 
return   to    Canaan   DiPC'p    (with  ?  of  condition,  which   forms 
an    adverbial    notion)    peacefully,    i.e.    unmolested    (1    Sam. 
i.    17,  XX.    42).     Judah's   remonstrance,   vv.    18-34:    Then 
Judah  drcuj  near  and  said :    Oh,  my  lord,  let  thy  servant,  I 


326  GENESIS  XLIV.  18-34. 

'pray  thee,  speak  a  ivord  in  my  lord's  cars,  and  let  not  thine 
anger  hum  against  thy  servant,  for  thou  oM  equal  with  Pharaoh. 
My  lord  asked  his  servants  saying :  Have  ye  yet  a  father  or  a 
hr  other?  And  we  said  to  my  lord:  We  have  an  aged  father 
and  a  young  child  horn  to  him  in  his  old  age,  tvhose  brother  is 
dead,  and  he  oidy  is  left  of  his  mother,  and  his  father  loveth 
him.  And  thou  saidst  to  thy  servants :  Bring  him  doion  to 
me,  that  I  may  set  mine  eyes  upon  him.  And  we  answered 
my  lord :  The  hoy  cannot  leave  his  father,  for  if  he  shoidd 
leave  him — his  father  ivould  die.  But  thou  saidst  to  thy  ser- 
va7its :  Unless  your  youngest  hrotlier  come  down  tvith  you,  ye 
shall  see  my  face  no  more.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  ive  had 
gone  up  to  thy  servant,  our  father,  ive  told  him  the  worels  of  my 
lord.  When  then  our  father  said :  Go  again,  huy  us  a  little 
food,  we  said :  We  cannot  go  doivn ;  if  our  youngest  hrotlier  is 
ivith  us,  then  ivill  tve  go  doivn,  for  we  may  not  see  the  mans 
face  except  our  youngest  brother  be  with  us.  Then  thy  servant, 
my  father,  said  unto  us  :  Ye  know  that  my  wife  hare  me  two. 
The  one  went  away  from  me,  and  I  said  :  Certainly  he  is  torn 
to  pieces,  and  I  have  not  seen  him  since.  Now  ye  will  take  this 
one  also  from  before  my  face,  and  if  an  accident  befall  him,  ye 
ivill  have  brought  doivn  my  grey  hairs  with  unhappincss  to  the 
grave.  When  then  I  come  to  thy  servant,  my  father,  and  the 
boy  is  not  ivith  us,  seeing  his  soid  is  linked  to  the  boy's  soul,  it 
will  come  to  pass,  when  he  sees  that  the  boy  is  not  there,  he  imll 
die,  and  thy  servants  ivill  have  h^ought  doivn  the  grey  hairs  of  thy 
servant,  our  father,  with  sorrow  to  the  grave.  For  thy  servant 
bro7ight  away  the  boy  from  his  father  and  became  surety,  saying: 
If  I  bring  him  not  back  to  thee,  I  will  hear  the  blame  to  my 
father  for  life.  Therefore  let  thy  servant  remain  instead  of  the 
boy  as  bondman  to  my  lord,  but  let  the  boy  go  up  with  his 
brethren.  For  how  could  I  go  to  my  father,  except  the  boy  be 
with  me  ?  Oh  no,  I  cannot  see  the  sorrow  that  will  come  upon 
my  father.  We  have  already  had,  xliii.  20,  the  courteous  ''S 
with  which  Judah  begins.      He  desires  to  speak  ''.^I!^^  of  the 


GENESIS  XLV.  327 

great  lord,  i.e.  directly  (without  an  interpreter)  and  audibly 
(comp.  1.  4,  but  also  xx.  8  and  xxiii.  IG).  Thou  and  Pharaoli 
— he  says — are  equal  one  to  another  (3~3,  as  at  xviii.  25). 
^""^i??  Vl  2  Off  is  equivalent  to  D"'jpT'p  xxxvii.  3  (comp.  on 
iv.  23),  and  the  added  ]^?^  does  not  describe  Benjamin  as 
a  little  child,  but  as  still  in  the  bloom  of  youth  (and  born  in 
his  father's  old  age,  comp.  1  Kings  iii.  7,  2  Chron.  xiii.  7). 
By  V^V  V'^  '"^P'^'^l  21J  Judah  explains  tlie  desire  to  see 
Benjamin  as  one  of  gracious  intention  (comp.  Jer.  xxxix.  12, 
xl.  4).  TjX  28a  is  affirmative,  as  at  xxix.  14.  ny"j3  29&  or  pj^a 
Sib,  xlii.  38,  to  go  down  to  Sheol,  is  the  opposite  of  Di/'K^'a 
XV.  15.  The  emotionally  repudiative  I?  346  with  the  chief 
sentence  understood  is  similar  to  xxxviii.  11,  xlii.  4. — Judah's 
words  are  those  of  a  heart  which  makes  its  owner  eloquent, 
words  subdued  by  wise  moderation  and  overmastering  grief,  but 
manly  and  bold  from  a  deeply-stirred  feeling  of  duty,  enhanced 
by  the  consciousness  of  his  former  guilt.  Before  him  stands 
the  lord  of  Egypt,  whose  heart  he  is  trying  to  pierce;  behind 
him  are  his  prostrate  brethren,  all  of  whom  he  is  representing. 
Judah  was  the  most  eloquent  among  his  brethren.  It  was  his 
eloquence  that  at  last  induced  his  father  to  entrust  Benjamin 
to  him,  xliii.  8-10;  he,  by  whose  advice  Joseph  had  been 
sold  as  a  slave,  condemns  himself  to  slavery,  for  the  sake  of 
saving  Benjamin.  The  change  of  disposition  in  his  brethren 
has  now  been  sufficiently  tested,  and  a  continuance  of  the 
restraint,  which  Joseph  has  put  upon  himself,  is  no  longer 
possible.  The  force  of  both  the  pain  and  the  rapture  of  love 
can  no  longer  endure  restriction.  The  moment  for  the  most 
touching  and  sacred  scene  of  recognition — a  turning-point  full 
of  important  results  in  the  history  of  Israel — has  arrived. 

THE  RECOGNITION,  CII.  XLV. 

The  chief  narrator  seems  here  also  to  be  J,  his  account 
being  however  completed  from  £.     The  passage  vv.  17-23 


328  GENESIS  XLV. 

is  tliat  which  is  the  most  certainly  derived  from  the  hitter. 
The  Divine  name  D\n^x  (D\n^N'n)  decides  nothing,  for  only  at 
xlvi.  2  does  U,  and  at  xxxix.  2,  3,  5,  21,  23  does  J"  announce 
himself  by  the  former,  calling  the  God  who  presides  over  tlie 
history  of  Joseph  D\n';x,  and  the  latter  calling  Him  n"in\  Joseph 
himself  never  calls  Him  nirT*  (not  even  in  ch.  xxxix.),  but 
six  times  DM^^xn  and  nine  times  DTi^s.  Pharaoh  also,  the 
brethren  and  Jacob  call  God  h'^rh^  (n)  with  or  without  the 
article ;  and  what  is  striking,  Jacob,  in  a  text  derived  from  J, 
xlviii.  20,  even  calls  the  God  in  whose  name  he  is  blessing  DTii'X. 
Nor  is  ^xib'^  for  npy  any  safe  criterion.  Certainly  this  name 
makes  us  think  in  the  first  place  of  J^  (p.  225) ;  but  E  also 
calls  the  sons  of  Jacob  ijNib"'  "'Jl  at  xlii.  5,  xlvi,  5,  and  here 
ver.  21.    In  ch.  xlviii.  the  names  are  interchamred  both  in  the 

O 

jDarts  taken  from  E  and  those  taken  from  J,  and  is  it  then 
J,  who  at  XXXV.  21  sq.  says  ^S"ib'^  three  times  in  one  breath? 

Joseph  has  hitherto  suppressed  his  feelings,  for  the  sake  of 
carrying  out  the  plan  of  simulation  which  he  had  devised. 
His  object  is  now  attained.  He  has  convinced  himself  that 
Benjamin  is  still  alive,  and  has  not  become  like  himself  a 
victim  of  his  brothers'  envy.  He  has  taken  a  deep  look  into 
his  brothers'  hearts  and  has  found  them  changed  for  the  better. 
He  has  heard  them,  and  above  all  Eeuben  (the  comparatively 
least  guilty,  yet  still  as  an  accessory  not  innocent),  repent  and 
bewail  the  crime  committed  against  himself,  which  is  now 
visited  upon  them.  Their  tender  affection  for  their  aged 
father,  and  their  loyalty  towards  the  only  remaining  son  of 
Eachel,  have  been  made  manifest  by  Judah's  speech.  They 
cannot  but  regard  Benjamin  as  the  guilty  one,  who  has  by 
theft  plunged  them  all  into  misery ;  but  they  do  not  load  him 
with  reproaches,  they  do  not  regard  themselves  as  released 
from  the  promise  given  concerning  him  to  their  father,  they 
take  the  blame  upon  themselves  as  for  their  common  act. 
Their  conduct  under  this  last  test  is  the  clear  reflection  of 
their  wakeful  conscience,  of  their  converted   heart.     At    the 


GENESIS  XLY.  1-3.  329 

same  time  he  loolcs  into  the  whole  depth  of  his  miserably 
deceived  father's  mourning  of  now  twenty-two  years'  duration 
for  himself,  his  lost  son.  By  sympathy  he  is  sharing  the 
anxiety  which  that  fatlicr  is  now  certainly  undergoing  about 
Benjamin.  Any  longer  continuance  of  the  seeming  callousness, 
which  he  has  not  even  been  able  to  maintain  without  inter- 
mingling in  it  various  marks  of  kindness,  would  be  the  greatest 
self-torture,  and  is  indeed  in  the  overwhelming  rush  of  emo- 
tion utterly  impossible,  vcr.  la:  Then  Joseph  could  no  longer 
restrain  liimself  hefore  all  them  that  stood  hefore  him,  and  he 
cried :  Make  every  one  go  out  from  me  !  At  the  first  sight  of 
Benjamin  it  already  became  difficult  to  him  to  restrain  him- 
self (xliii.  31),  but  he  did  it  because  of  the  bystanders 
(7J?  3i*:,  as  at  xxiii.  2  and  also  xxviii.  13)  ;  he  now  commands 
them  to  retire,  their  presence  being,  as  is  shown  by  vPp,  an 
intolerable  burden.  He  is  thus  left  alone,  and  as  the  narrator, 
with  profound  consciousness  of  the  significance  of  this  scene 
in  the  redemptive  history,  adds,  ver.  Ih :  And  there  stood  no 
one  v:iih  him,  while  Joseph  made  himself  known  to  his  brethren. 
The  Ilithpa.  I'^.^nn  only  again  at  Num.  xii.  G,  properly  to 
make  oneself  known,  comp.  ?^.3nn  to  make  oneself  great.  It 
was  a  transaction  so  tender  and  sacred,  that  the  presence  of 
an  observer  could  not  but  be  regarded  as  a  profanation,  a 
mutual  outpouring  of  hearts,  M'hich,  beside  God,  Who  knows 
all  things,  no  one  ought  to  hear,  and  indeed  no  one  was  capable 
of  understanding,  ver.  2  :  Then  he  hurst  out  into  loud  weeping, 
and  the  Egyptians  heard  it,  and  the  house  of  Fharewh  heard  it. 
The  Egyptians  (D;"i>*p=nnv?pri)  outside  heard  it,  and  the  news 
that  some  extraordinary  occurrence  must  have  happened  soon 
reached  Pharaoh's  palace.  His  first  word  is,  ver.  3a  ;  /  am 
Joseph,  and  his  next :  Is  my  father  yet  cdive  ?  He  has  already 
often  heard  that  he  was  alive  and  has  himself  already  asked 
it,  but  it  is  the  first  and  greatest  need  of  his  heart  again  to 
assure  himself  of  it.  But  his  brethren — continues  the  narrator, 
ver.  oh — could  not  answer  him,for  they  vxre  dismayed  before  him. 


o30  GENESIS  XLV.  4-13. 

Then  Joseph  said  to  them,  ver.  Aa :  Come  nearer  to  me,  I  pray 
you,  and  they  came  nearer.  And  he  said  further,  vv.  4&-13  :  / 
am,  Joseph  your  brother,  whom  ye  sold  into  Egypt;  and  now  trouhle 
not  yourselves,  think  not  that  you  must  he  angry  toith  yourselves 
that  you  sold  me  hither,  for  Elohim  sent  me  hither  hcforc  you  to 
preserve  life.  For  there  have  now  been  two  years  of  famine  in 
the  land,  and  there  come  yet  five  years,  in  luhich  shall  he  neither 
ploughing  nor  harvest.  So  then  Elohim  sent  me  before  you  to 
2')rescrve  you  a  remnant  in  the  earth  and  to  spare  your  life  for 
a  great  escape.  Now  then — it  is  not  you  that  sent  me  hither, 
but  God,  and  He  has  made  me  a  father  to  Fharaoh^  and  lord 
of  all  his  house,  and  rider  over  the  tohole  land  of  Egypt.  Go  vp 
quickly  to  my  father  and  say  unto  him :  Thus  saith  thy  son 
Joseph :  Elohim  hath  made  me  lord  of  all  Egypt,  come  down  to 
me,  tarry  not.  And  thou  shall  divell  in  the  land  of  Goshen 
and  shall  he  near  me,  thou  and  thy  cliildren  and  thy  children's 
children  and  thy  cattle  and  cdl  that  is  thine.  And  I  will 
nourish  thee  there,  for  there  are  yet  to  he  five  years  of  famine, 
that  thou  niayest  not  come  to  poverty,  and  thy  household  and  all 
that  is  thine.  And  behold  your  eyes  see,  and  the  eyes  of  my 
brother  Benjamin,  that  it  is  my  mouth  that  speahcth  unto  you. 
Atid  tell  my  father  all  my  honour  in  Egypt,  and  all  that  you 
have  seen,  and  hasten,  bring  my  father  hither  to  me.  On 
■irix  .  .  "iC'X  (rehative  of  the  1st  pers.)  see  Ges.  §  123,  note  1. 
Dnnan  corresponds  with  J'&  description  of  the  procedure, 
according  to  which  Joseph  was  sold  by  Judah's  advice, 
xxxvii.  26,  27,  28?^,  comp.  (according  to  E)  xl.  loa.  The 
peculiar  ".^'J/?  nin  5a  also  belongs  to  the  style  of  J  at 
xxxi.  35,  besides  which  a  similar  example  to  ^I'^JP'  ^l  is  also 
found  at  xxxi.  38,  41.  The  phrase  rinsc'  Dlb*  7a  is  like 
2   Sam.  xiv.  7.      The  riVDilr  which  follows  is  combined  with 

^  The  Codex  of  R.  Meir  and  that  which  was,  as  the  Midrash  on  Genesis  of 
Mose-ha-Darshan  (in  MSS.  at  Prague)  says,  preserved  in  the  Severus  synagogue 
at   Home,  read  liere  ''Jl^'''1,  i.e.  as   it  is   explained  ''^[•"1  (and  he  lent  me   to 

Pharaoh  tliat  I  should  be  a  father  to  him),  an  incredible  various  reading  (see  A. 
Epstein  in  Gratz's  Monatsschrift,  xxxiv.). 


GENESIS  XLV.  M,  15.  331 

csp  in  tlie  sense  of  n^^np  nnp  Ezra  ix.  8  sq.  :  to  you  for  a 
great  escape  (comp.  xxxii.  9  in  J  and  the  Assyr.  baldlii  to 
live,  properly  to  escape,  to  be  preserved).  They  are  the 
notions  ri^"l*?t^  and  ^072,  which  subsequently  attained  so  great 
importance  in  prophecy,  which  here  appear  by  way  of  prelude 
in  the  mouth  of  Joseph,  the  type  of  Christ,  the  preserver  of 
his  famil}^,  and  in  it  of  the  future  nation  (see  Hoelemann  in 
the  Sachs.  Kirchcn-  u.  Schulhlatt,  1873,  No,  14).  "Father  to 
Pharaoh  "  is  the  title  of  the  highest  dignitary,  who  as  first 
councillor  is  always  near  the  king,  comp.  on  ^l^x  xli.  43. 
X'b  here  corresponds  with  t27'^  in  E,  xlii.  6.  Dwelling  in 
Goshen  (see  concerning  this  district  of  Lower  Egypt,  situate  at 
at  all  events  on  the  east  of  the  Nile,  on  xlvii.  27  ;  the  LXX 
translates  in  this  passage  eV  7.^  Feaefju  ^Apa(3ia<i),  and  therefore 
on  the  soil  of  Pharaoh's  kingdom,  Jacob  is  near  his  son,  and 
incomparably  easier  to  be  reached,  than  at  that  time  in 
Canaan.  There  he  will  nourish  his  family  (?3p?,  as  at  xlvii. 
12,  1.  21)  and  protect  them  from  poverty  in  the  years  of 
famine  which  are  still  to  come  {^'^Ji^  transformed  from 
\yi''=mi  hardly:  taken  possession  of  =  to  be  without  posses- 
sion). "Your  eyes  see"  sounds  Deuteronomic,  Deut.  iii.  21, 
iv.  3,  xi.  7,  xxviii.  3  2,  which  is  not  strange  in  the  Jahvistic 
style.  Three  times  does  Joseph  (vv.  7,  8,  9)  bring  it  forward 
to  comfort  them,  that  what  they  did,  had  been  of  God's  disposing 
for  their  own  good.  What  a  thoroughly  noble  heart  it  was,  that 
he  opened  to  his  brethren  !  When  he  had  thus  poured  forth 
his  heart,  vv.  14,  15  :  He  fell  upon  his  brother  Benjamins  neck 
and  wept,  and  Benjamin  wept  on  his  neck.  And  he  kissed  all 
his  brethren  and  wept  on  them,  and  after  this  his  brethren  talked 
with  him.  That  2n\^y  has  not  a  causal  (as  c.ff.  at  Lam.  i.  16) 
but  a  local  meaning  is  shown  by  the  preceding  "  on  his  neck." 
It  is  not  to  be  seen  why  ver.  15  should  be  from  B  (Dillm.), 
and  not,  like  ver.  14,  from  J'"  (comp.  xlvi.  29,  xxxiii.  4).  It 
was  now  that  the  brothers  first  ventured  to  approach  him,  the 
string  of  their  tongues  is  now  loosened,  and  they  are  able  to 


332  I  GENESIS  XLV,  3G-20. 

talk  with  him.  The  sacred  history  maintains  in  the  history 
of  Joseph  all  its  greatness ;  here  especially,  in  the  scene  of  the 
recognition,  all  is  nature,  all  spirit  and  all  art ;  every  word  is 
as  it  were  bathed  in  tears  of  sympathy,  in  the  heart's  blood  of 
love,  in  the  wine  of  rapture.  Never,  says  Klopstock,  liave  few 
words  expressed  more  noble  passion.  The  foil  however  of 
this  history,  so  beautiful  in  itself,  is  the  Antitype,  Who  sheds 
over  it  His  glorifying  light.  For  after  the  Jewish  nation 
delivers  Jesus  into  the  hands  of  the  Gentiles,  the  anti- 
typical  history  of  this  fraternal  treachery  also  discharges 
itself  into  adorable  depths  of  the  wisdom  and  knowledge  of 
God.  Ad  hoc  cnim  —  remark  Augustine,  IJabanus  Maurus 
and  others  on  this  subject — Christus  a  Judais  traditus  est 
gentibus,  tanquam  Joseph  uEgyptiis  a  fratribus,  nt  ct  rcliquice 
Israel  salvev  Jicrenf. 

Tlie  intelligence  of  the  arrival  of  Joseph's  brethren,  which 
soon  reached  the  palace,  made  a  favourable  impression  upon 
Pharaoh,  and  therefore  of  course  upon  the  court  officials, 
ver.  16  :  And  the  report  iccis  heard  in  Pharaoh's  house,  saying : 
Joseph's  brethren  are  come  !  And  it  was  pleasing  in  the  eyes  of 
Pharaoh  and  in  the  eyes  of  his  servants.  The  interposition  of 
this  information  was  needed  by  what  follows  in  ver.  17  ;  hence 
the  narrator  is  not  necessarily  another  than  in  ver.  2,  but 
still  J  (com]3.  •'yya  3D^  xli.  37).  The  command  of  Pharaoh, 
vv.  1 7-20  :  And  Pharaoh  said  unto  Joseph:  Say  to  thy  brethren : 
This  do  :  lade  your  beasts  and  go  hence  to  Canaan.  And  take  your 
father  and  your  families  and  eome  to  me,eind  I  ivill  givcyou  the 
best  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  eat  the  fat  of  the  land.  Now  thou 
art  commanded  (to  say  to  them) :  This  do  ye :  take  you  out  of 
the  land  of  Egypt  waggons  for  your  little  ones  and  your  luives, 
and  set  your  father  upon  one  and  come  !  And  let  not  your 
eyes  rest  regretfully  upon  your  stuff,  for  the  best  of  the  land  of 
Egypt  is  yours.  It  was  an  act  of  gratitude  for  the  king  to 
invite  the  family  of  Joseph  to  Egypt ;  this  free  and  honourable 
invitation  implied  the  right  of  Israel  to  leave  it  also  without 


GENESIS  XLV.  21-24.  333 

obstruction.  There  is  not  a  word  of  tbis  invitation  in  xlvi. 
28  sqq. ;  but  this  involves  no  contradiction,  the  n^attor  tliere 
in  question  being  the  securing  their  possession  of  the  Land  of 
Goshen,  by  reference  to  their  occupation  of  sheplierds ;  never- 
theless since  xlv.  28  sqq.  is  from  J,  xlv.  17-20  may  be  from 
B.  |j;d  to  load,  is  aiza^  I^IP-  (comp.  ^V  DDy  in  J  xliv.  13). 
i'y3  occurs  also  in  the  book  of  tlie  covenant,  Ex.  xxii.  1,  and 
elsewhere  only  Xum.  xx.  4,  8,  11,  Ps.  Ixxviii.  48,  Arab.  „v.^j 
camels,  as  the  chief  element  of  property  in  cattle  {DMZ.  xxx, 
G74).  On  ^^^3-137  comp.  Isa.  xxii.  15,  Ezek.  iii.  4;  on  the 
a^D  interchanged  with  3pn  of  the  land,  2  Kings  viii.  9  (differing, 
as  Dillm.  remarks,  from  f^^^  3ui*p  the  best  part  of  the  land)  ; 
and  on  chri"7S  Cpry  Deut.  vii.  IG  and  frequently,  it  is  an 
expression  native  to  Deut.  within  the  Pentateuch.  After  '■'J^*?.^ 
we  must  with  the  Syr.  supply  "n'nx'PN  nbX;  but  according  to 
the  LXX  Jer.  nn^iv  was  incorrectly  written  for  cnk  n;is 
(Dillm.).  Execution  of  the  royal  command,  and  supplies  for 
the  journey,  vv.  21-23:  And  the  sons  of  Jacob  did  so,  and 
Joseph  gave  them  uxicjgons  according  to  the  command  of  Pharaoh, 
and  gave  them  provision  for  the  journey.  To  all  of  them  he 
gave  each  man  ncio  raiment,  and  to  Benjamin  three  hundred 
pieces  of  silver  and  five  neio  suits  of  raiment.  And  to  his 
father  he  sent  on  this  manner,  ten  asses  laden  with  the  good 
things  of  Egypt,  and  ten  she-asses  laden  ivith  corn  and  bread 
and  victuals  for  his  father  upon  the  journey.  Ancient  Egypt 
was  rich  in  vehicles  and  horses  for  both  warlike  and  peaceful 
purposes,  comp.  1.  9  with  Isa.  xxxvi.  9.     Tbfi'C  riispn  changes 

of  raiment,  then  like  <?w>o  new  garments  in  general,  as  at  Judg. 

xiv.  12  sq.,  comp.  ver.  19  and  frequently.  Instead  of  nsf3  we 
have  everywhere  else  rixf3  with  a  foretone  Kametz ;  the  mean- 
ing is  the  same,  not  like  the  LXX,  Vulg.:  as  many  changes 
of  raiment,  but  so  many  presents,  viz.  the  following.  The 
dismissal,  ver.  24:  ^So  he  sent  his  brethren  avmy  and  they 
departed,  and  he  said  to  them :  Fall  not  out  on  the  icay,  viz.  as 


334  GENESIS  XLV.  25-28. 

to  the  share  of  one  above  another  in  the  injustice  committed 
which  had  now  to  be  confessed  to  their  father,  or  from  envy 
at  the  preference  of  one  above  anotlier.  The  LXX  and  all 
ancient  translations  correctly  give  firj  opyi^eaOe,  while  on 
the  other  hand  the  explanation  :  Tremble  not,  i.e.  be  of  good 
cheer  on  the  way,  gives  here  a  superfluous  and  moreover  an 
inaptly  expressed  thought.  The  arrival,  the  announcement  and 
the  impression  made,  vv.  25-28  :  And  they  went  wp  out  of 
Egypt  and  came  to  the  land  of  Canaan,  to  Jacob  their  father. 
And  they  told  him  saying  :  Joseph  is  yet  alive,  and  he  is  governor 
over  the  ivhole  land  of  Egyjot ;  and  his  heart  was  numhcd,  for  he 
helieved  them  not.  And  they  told  him  all  the  words  of  Joseph, 
which  he  had  said  tmto  them,  and  he  saw  the  waggons  which 
Joseph  had  sent,  then  the  spirit  of  Jacob  their  father  revived. 
And  Israel  said  :  Enough,  Joseph  my  son  is  still  alive.  I  will 
go  and  see  him  before  I  die.  With  ^Pl  the  announcement  turns 
into  an  oratio  obliqua.  ^2?  iD^l  does  not  mean :  his  heart  re- 
mained cold  (Kn.  Arnh.  Keil),  but  it  became  cold,  it  stared 
at  the  fabulous  narrative  without  being  able  to  grasp  it  as 
true.  But  when  he  recognised,  in  the  words  and  conduct  of 
Joseph  as  they  were  related  to  him,  the  image  of  his  son,  and 
when  the  waggons,  which  were  before  him,  brought  to  his 
eyes  his  rank  and  wealth,  lie  exclaimed,  esteeming  rank,  wealth 
and  presents  as  nothing :  Enough  (briefly,  as  at  2  Sara.  xxiv. 
16,  1  Kings  xix.  4  for  v^l),  my  son  Joseph  is  alive,  and  faith 
and  love  renewing  his  youth :  I  will  go  and  see  him  before  I 
die.  Jacob  believed  not — then  the  spirit  of  Jacob  their 
father  revived  and  Israel  said — what  a  judicious  change  of 
name !  The  feeble  old  man  says  :  I  will  go  and  see  him,  as 
if  he  needed  the  aid  of  no  one  in  going  to  Egypt.  Joseph  is 
the  one  thought  in  which  he  is  absorbed.  This  one  thought 
he  follows  like  a  magnet,  turning  neither  to  the  right  hand 
nor  the  left.  But  this  Jacob  to  whom  the  spirit  of  his  youth 
thus  returns  is  Israel.  It  is  the  nation  of  that  name  whose 
migration  to  Egypt  and  its  birth  there  is  decided  by  this  '"'pp'*. 


GENESIS  XLVI.  1-4.  335 

THE  REMOVAL  OF  ISRAEL  TO  GOSHEN  IN  EGYPT,  CII,  XLVI. 

Here  begins  that  third  section  of  the  Toledoth  of  Jacob 
which   extends   from    the    migration    to   Egypt   to   the   pro- 
sperous sojourn   and   increase  in  Goshen,  ch.  xlvi.-xlvii.  27. 
1.  Eemoval  of  t[ie  family  OF  Jacob,  xlvi.  1-7.     This  is  the 
first  of  the   three   portions   of  which  ch.  xlvi.  is  composed. 
The  account  down  to  ver.  5  is  by  E,  and  its  amplification,  ver. 
6  sq.,  by  Q.     That  /  has  a  share  in  ver.  1  sq.  is  inferred  from 
Beersheba  being,  according  to  E,  the  dwelling-place  of  Jacob, 
and  not  merely  the  intermediate  station.     But  this  assumption 
cannot  be  proved  (comp.  on  xxxvii.  14).     Ih  is  also  similar 
to  xxxi.  54,  and  2a  to  xx.  3.      In  vv.  3-5  indeed  the  tokens 
of  E  are  incomparably  more  abundant ;  in  the  first  place,  ver.  5, 
comp.  xlv.  19  (where  at  the  same  time  21a  showed  that  ^sib'' 
for  2\>T  is  no  decisive  sign  against  him),  and  36,  comp.  xxi.  13. 
Parallels  are  also  furnished   in  E  to  conspicuous  particulars 
of  style,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  ver.  6  sq.  is  a  transition  to 
the  following  catalogue  of  names  similar  in  style  to  the  second 
Elohist.      The  departure,  ver.  1  :  And  Israel  deimrted  with  all 
that  lie  had  and  came  to  Beersheba,  and  offered  sacrifices  to  the 
God  of  his  father  Isaac,     Travelling  from  Hebron,  xxxvii.  14, 
in  the  direction  of  Egypt,  Jacob  arrives  at  Beersheba  {^y<^ 
y?tif,  comp.  xxviii.   2),  where  were  the   tamarisk   planted  by 
Abraham,  xxi.   33,  and   the  altar  of  Isaac,  xxvi.  25.      There 
he  offered  sacrifices  to  the  God  of  his  father  Isaac  (according 
to  xxxi.    54,  sacrifices    with    a    sacrificial   repast,   the    only 
passage,  apart    from  ch.   xxxi.,  where   the    patriarchs   appear 
as    sacrificing),   just    when    he    was,   certainly    not    without 
a   deep  feeling   of  melancholy  mingled  with  his  joy,  about 
to   leave   the   Land   of  Promise.      Manifestation   of  God   in 
Beersheba,    vv.    2-4 :    And    Elohim    spake    to    Israel    in    a 
vision  of  the  night,  and  said :  Jacob  !  Jacob  !     And  lie  said : 
Here  am  I.      Then  lie  said :  I  am  El,  the  God  of  thy  father, 
fear  not  to  (jo  down  into  Egypt,  for  I  will  there  make  thee  a 


336  GENESIS  XLVI.  5-7. 

great  nation.  As  for  me,  I  will  go  down  loith  thee  to  Egypt, 
and  I  will  also  hring  thee  up  again,  and  Joseph  shall  close  thine 
eyes.  The  plur.  rik"i^  is  the  intensive  plur.  expressive  of 
grandeur  and  importance.  The  inf.  ITI"!  stands  midway  be- 
tween rinn  and  '"i*]"?.,  according  to  ^V\  ^"y.,  the  ancient  original 
form  ridat,  and  npy'Da  is  like  ''i^^^"^?,  xxxi.  15,  both  in  E, 
corap.  ^J<,  Isa.  XXXV.  2,  and  on  the  inf.  ahs.  of  Kal  with 
Hiph.,  Ges.  §  131,  note  2.  However  high  Joseph  might  stand 
in  Pharaoh's  favour,  Egypt  was  still  a  foreign  land,  and  it 
would  not  be  without  apprehension  that  Jacob  would  con- 
template his  own  and  his  descendants'  future.  His  heart 
would  cleave  to  Canaan,  which  was  his  native  land  by 
nature  and  his  true  home  by  promise.  Hence  it  is  that 
the  Divine  encouragement  vouchsafed  him  takes  the  form 
of  an  assurance,  that  he  does  not  go  to  Egypt  alone,  nor 
without  hope  of  return.  Thus  reassured  he  continues  his 
journey,  ver.  5  :  And  Jacob  rose  up  from  Beershcba,  and  the 
sons  of  Israel  took  their  father  and  their  little  ones  and  their 
wives  in  the  waggons  which  Pharaoh  had  sent  to  carry  him. 
In  an  Egyptian  painting  there  is  a  representation  of  an 
Ethiopian  princess  returning  to  Thebes,  the  capital,  in  a 
waggon,  under  a  sunshade  attached  to  it,  with  her  servant 
guiding  the  two  cows  harnessed  to  it.  The  body  of  the 
vehicle,  resting  on  two  wheels,  is  only  just  large  enough  for 
two  persons,  as  are  also  the  frequently  depicted  state  chariots 
and  war  chariots  ('"'^t'I^  ^^d  33"i,  Egypt,  markabuta).  The 
waggons  which  Joseph  sent  were,  on  the  contrary,  certainly 
four-wheeled  conveyances,  like  that  of  the  chamberlain, 
Acts  viii.,  who,  though  surely  not  without  servants,  yet 
asked  Philip  the  deacon  to  sit  beside  him.  In  such  waggons 
drawn  by  oxen  did  the  women  and  children  of  the  patri- 
archal family  travel  with  their  aged  father.  The  cattle  were 
driven,  and  the  rest  of  their  goods  packed  upon  asses  and 
camels.  Thus  they  came  to  Egypt,  vv.  6,  7  :  And  they  took 
their  cattle  and  their  goods,  which  they  had  gotten  in  the  land 


GENESIS  XLVr.  fi-7.  337 

of  Canaan,  and  came  to  Egypt,  Jacob  and  all  his  seed  with 

him.     His  sons  and  his  sons'  S07is  with  him,  and  his  daughters 

and  his  sons'  daughters  and  all  his  seed  brought  he  with  him 

to  Egypt.      It  is  the  same  kind  of  statement  as  at  xii.  5,  xxxi. 

18,  xxxvi.  6,  comp.  also  on  W5<  vii.  7,  13,  and  other  passages. 

Here  follows  the  second  of  the   three  portions  of  which 

eh.  xlvi.  consists :  2.  A  catalogue  of  the  names  of  those 

WHO  migrated  to    Egypt,  vv.   8-27.      Kuenen  {Einl.  §   G, 

note  1)  regards   this  as  a  piece    of  patchwork  put  together 

from  Num.  xxvi.     In  our  opinion  its  author  is    Q,  who  is 

characterized  Loth   by    D"ix  pQ    and  i^T.   "'5<V'   (ver.   26   as  at 

Ex.   i.    5,    comp.    Gen.    xxxv.    11,   elsewhere   only  at    Judg. 

viii.  30);  nor  is  "nx  l?vi  ver.   20  against  him,  for  he  thus 

writes  at  Num.  xxvi.  60  ;  also  (as  the  Jahvist  does,  iv.  18) 

R   may   have  interposed   here    and    there,   but   nothing   can 

with   certainty  be   shown  to  be  of  liis  insertion,  except  the 

relative  sentence  in  ver.  20,  and  that  not  from  its  contents, 

but   from  the  syntactic   harshness  of  the  annexation.     The 

words  VJ3^  2\>T  are  the  title  and  theme  of  the  table,  which 

is  arranged,  as   it  were,  in  four  columns.     Jacob  stands  at 

the  head,  and  his  sons  are   classified  according  to  his  four 

wives,  Leah,  Zilpah,  Eachel,  Bilhah ;  all  is  clear,  it  is  only 

strange,  but  not  doubtful,  that  in  ver.  15   Jacob  is  reckoned 

in  with  the  HK^  ""Jn  (with  these,  because  his  seed  began  with 

them),  instead  of  being  added  to  them.      Under  Leah  stand 

Eeuben  with   four    sons  =  5  ;    Simeon  with  six  =  7  ;    Levi 

with   three  =  4 ;  Judah   with  five   sons,    of  whom   'Er   and 

Onan  are,  as  is  remarked,  omitted,  as  having  died  in  Canaan, 

and  two  grandsons,  as  a  compensation  for  the  two  sons  who 

died  childless  =  6  ;  Issachar  with  four  sons  =  5  ;    Zebulun 

with  three  =  4 ;  and  Dinah   (who,  having   fallen,   remained 

single,   and   moreover    did   not   become   a   mother).      She    is 

hence  mentioned  alone,  and  is  included  in  the  computation 

as  being  also  the  eldest  of  the  daughters,  ver.  7.     Thus  we 

have   5  +  7  +  4  +  6  +  5  +  4+1  =  32,  but  with  Jacob,  33. 

VOL.  IL  Y 


338  GENESIS  XLVL  27. 

Under  Zilpah  stand  Gad  with  seven  sons  =  8  ;  Asber  with 
four  sons,  a  daughter  (Serah,  who,  like  Dinah,  is  enumerated 
for  a  special  reason)  and  two  grandsons  =  8.  Hence  16. 
Under  Eachel,  Jacob's  wife  Kar  i^.  :  Joseph  with  two  sons 
=  3;  Benjamin  with  ten  =  11,  consequently  14.  Under 
Bilhah :  Dan  with  one  son  =  2  ;  ISTaphtali  with  four  =  5, 
consequently  7.  These  together  (3 3  +  16  +  14  + V)  make 
70  souls.  The  catalogue  however  reckons  at  first,  ver.  26, 
only  6  6  descendants  of  Jacob  (who  "  came  forth  out  of  his 
loins,"  comp.  xxiv.  2),  leaving  out  of  the  computation  Jacob 
and  Joseph  with  the  two  sons  of  the  latter,  whom  the  family 
that  migrated  to  Egypt  found  there.  If  however  Jacob  and 
Joseph,  with  Ephraim  and  Manasseh,  are  added,  there  are  70.^ 
And  Joseph's  sale  into  Egypt  being,  as  he  himself  regarded  it, 
xlv.  2,  only  a  sending  thither  beforehand,  the  account  is  quite 
right  when  it  says  finally,  ver.  2  75 ;  All  the  souls  of  the  house 
of  Jacob  which  came  into  Egijpt  ip^'-^'^-'^^'^  "i^'^,  see  Ges. 
§  109)  loere  seventy.  The  same  number  is  given  Ex.  i.  5, 
Deut.  X.  22.  The  LXX  however,  conip.  Acts  vii.  14,  reckons 
e^So/xTjKovTaTrevTe,  counting,  in  accordance  with  its  enlarge- 
ment of  ver.  20  (which  omits  i??  the  son  of  Ephraim, 
Num.  xxvi.  35),  three  grandsons  and  two  great-grandsons 
of  Joseph,  and  at  last,  ver.  27,  by  the  addition  of  9  Josephites 
to  the  66  descendants  of  Jacob  makes  the  number  75. 

So  far  all  is  clear.  But  taking  the  statement  literally, 
that  the  sixty-seven — for  this  is  their  number  including  Jacob 
and  excluding  Joseph  with  Manasseh  and  Ephraim — came  to 
Egypt,  difficult  questions  arise.  Since  there  are  only  about 
two -and -twenty  years  between  the  sale  of  Joseph  and  the 
migration  of  Jacob,^  and  the  birth  of  Judah's  twin  children 

^  According  to  ancient  Jewish  explanation  tlie  meaning  is,  that  when  they 
came  into  Egypt,  by  inckiding  among  them  Joseph  and  his  two  sons  and 
Jochebed  who  were  born  X^IIB'  ""^3  («.e.  at  the  wall  of  Sesostris  at  the  eastern 
boundary  of  Egypt),  there  were  70  of  them  ;  see  Targ.  Jer.  and  Rashi  on 
xlvi.  26,  and  Briill's  Jahrbucher/ur  jild.  Lit.  u.  Gesch.  1883,  p.  100  sq. 

^  Kanzleirat  Paret,  in  his  work  on  The  Era  of  the  World,  1880,  p.  24,  in 


GENESIS  XLVr.  27.  339 

takes  place  after  the  former  event,  Perez,  wlio,  acconliii^'  to 
ver.  12,  came  to  Egypt  with  Hezron  and  Hamul,  must  liave 
been  born  and  already  have  begotten  two  sons  within  these 
twenty-two  years.  This  is  not  impossible,  but  with  regard  to 
patriarchal  custom  improbable.  A  greater  difficulty  arises  from 
the  fact  of  ten  sons  being  awarded  to  Benjamin  (according  to  the 
LXX :  three  sons  with  five  grandsons  and  a  great-grandson). 
Benjamin  appears  indeed  in  the  preceding  history  not  as  a 
boy  in  the  ordinary  sense  of  the  word,  but  at  all  events  as 
still  a  young  man.  His  birth  took  place,  as  we  saw,  p.  234, 
in  the  106th  year  of  Jacob  (tlie  last  before  Joseph's  disappear- 
ance), and  perhaps  some  years  earlier.  Hence,  at  the  time  of 
the  migration  he  was  perhaps  twenty-four  years  old  (according 
to  Demetrius  in  Eus.  Pracp.  ix.,  twenty-one  eVwy  Krj),  and  as 
such  might  as  well  be  called  "iV^  as  Joseph  when  nearly 
thirty,  xli.  12,  comp.  xlvi.  ;  Absalom  is  also  called  "ij?j 
2  Sam.  xvii.  32,  and  Solomon,  1  Kings  iii.  7,  calls  himself 
IDp  "iJ?J,  while  at  xiv.  24  nnyj  are  men  fit  for  war.  But  this 
was  an  age  at  which,  even  if  he  is  made,  .as  by  Grossrau,  a 
polygamist,  he  could  hardly  have  already  had,  and  certainly 
according  to  the  impression  made  by  the  preceding  narrative 
had  not  had,  ten  sons.  Nor  is  this  indeed  the  meaning  of  the 
list.  The  rude  contrast  said  to  exist  between  A  (Q)  and  C 
(J),  by  the  former  making  Benjamin  a  man  above  thirty,  and 
the  latter  representing  him  as  a  young  boy,  is  improbable  in 
itself,  and  is  done  away  with  by  the  obvious  view  (Hengstb., 
Eeinke  and  others),  that  those  grandsons  of  Jacob,  who  were 
not  born  till  after  the  migration,  are  regarded  as  members  of 
his  family,  who  came  into  Egypt  in  their  fathers.     The  expres- 

whicli  he  relies  for  chs.  v.  and  xi.  on  the  numbers  of  the  LXX,  thinks  that  tlie 
sojourn  in  Egypt  amounted  to  400  years,  to  430  if  we  date  it  i'rom  Joseph's 
arrival  there  ;  for  that  from  Joseph's  sale  to  the  settlement  of  the  family  of 
Jacob  in  Egypt  there  elapsed  30  years.  But  the  statements,  xxxvii.  2,  xli.  4G, 
xlv.  11,  give  13-|-7-|-2  years,  which  cannot  be  extended  to  30.  Paret  is  how- 
ever right  in  saying  that  215  years  are  insufficient  for  the  number  of  the  peojile 
assumed,  Ex.  xii.  37,  comp.  Kuhlcr,  OO'ch.  i.  164  sq. 


340  GENESIS  XLVI.  27. 

sion  of  the  catalogue  is  consequently  cautious,  it  does  not  say 
3pr-ny  but  2pT^  (2pV'-n'2b)  26a,  27h.  "This  view,"  objects 
Kn.,  "  is  inadmissible ;  the  narrator  reminds  lis  only  in  the 
case  of  Manasseh  and  Ephraim  that  they  were  born  in  Egypt ; 
he  makes  this  remark  repeatedly,  and  hence  with  special 
purpose  (vv.  20,  27,  Ex.  i.)."  But  the  remark  with  respect 
to  Manasseh  and  Ephraim  distinguishes  these  two,  as  found  in 
Egypt,  from  those  who  migrated  thither.  That  many  of  those 
named  were  not  born  to  their  fathers  till  after  the  latter  had 
come  to  Egypt,  is  not  contrary  to  either  the  object  or  meaning 
of  the  list.  From  xlii.  37  (U)  we  know  that  Reuben  had  two 
sons  at  the  time  of  the  second  journey  to  Egypt,  but  the  list 
reckons  four  as  coming  to  Egypt  with  their  father.  AVe  see 
by  the  counterpart,  Num.  xxvi.,  what  the  author  was  con- 
cerned about :  he  desired  to  show  that  the  roots  of  the 
subsequent  nation  were  transplanted  to  Egypt  in  the  family 
of  Jacob ;  he  names  the  ancestors  of  the  families,  who  were  at 
the  time  of  the  exodus  the  most  notable  and  numerous  (as 
many  as  five  were  then  already  extinct).  In  such  enumera- 
tions the  power  of  the  idea  over  the  materials  is  shown. 
The  sacred  historians  enclose  their  materials  in  the  frame  of 
significant  numbers.  Ten  is  the  number  of  the  finished 
whole,  upon  which  is  impressed  the  characteristic  of  sacred- 
ness  by  multiplication  with  seven,  the  number  of  disclosed 
unity,  and  especially  of  the  Divine  glory.  The  number  70 
(=  7  X  10)  stamps  the  little  band  of  emigrants  (Deut.  xxvi.  5) 
as  the  holy  seed  of  the  people  of  God. 

The  list  of  names,  Num.  xxvi.,  differs  in  many  respects 
from  that  of  Gen.  xlvi.  The  LXX  modifies  the  latter  by 
the  former.  Two  of  the  sons  of  Benjamin  appear.  Num.  xxvi., 
as  his  grandsons.  And  ten  names  of  the  same  persons  there 
differ  more  or  less.  The  deviating  pairs  of  names  are  either 
two  different  names  of  the  same  meaning,  as  in^  and  nnr,  2V 
(from  2'ix  =  L_;T)  and  y^'^^l,  or  slightly  differing  forms  of  the 
same  name,  as  ^X^^O"  and  ^?<^03,  I^DV  and  P^V,  'liib*  and  "liiN, 


GENESIS  XL VI.  28.  341 

D^an  and  DSin,  or  the  abbreviated  and  the  full  name,  as  '^x 
and  CiTnx^  or  apparently  various  readings  of  the  tradition,  as 
|3i-S  and  ^rx,  D^srD  and  DE^SC',  D^'n  and  omc'.^  Other  differ- 
ences are  found  in  the  lists  of  the  Chronicler,  and  especially 
in  the  portion  1  Chron.  vii.  14-29  conip.  Num.  xxvi.  28-37, 
which  carries  on  the  genealogical  table  of  the  descendants  of 
Joseph  beyond  Gen.  xlvi.  (comp.  xlviii.  6). 

After  the  list,  xlvi.  8-27,  whose  contents  and  object  extend 
beyond  the  immediate  present,  the  narrative  is  again  taken 
up,  and  the  third  of  the  three  portions  of  ch.  xlvi.  now  follows. 
3.  The  meeti:s!G  and  reception  in  Goshen.  The  narrator  is 
/,  as  is  at  once  perceived  by  the  prominence  given  to  Judah. 
Judah  sent  before,  ver.  28  :  And  Judah  he  sent  hefore  him  to 
Joseph,  to  (jive  information  hefore  him  to  Goshen,  and  they  came 
to  the  land  of  Goshen.  Instead  of  ThSrh  the  LXX,  Sam.  Syr. 
read  nixing,  which  Wellh.  Dillm.  pronounce  to  be  Ni;pli. :  that 
he  (Joseph)  might  appear  before  him  (Jacob).  It  is  indeed 
fitly  said,  296,  of  Joseph,  the  ruler  of  Egypt,  that  he  appeared 
before  (showed  himself  to)  his  father ;  but  the  lower  cannot 
without  discourtesy  and  irreverence  send  word  to  the  higher 
to  appear  before  him.  The  translation  too  of  Arnheim  and 
others :  that  he  might  show  the  way  to  Goshen  before  him,  is 
impossible ;  for  that  would  only  have  meaning  and  purpose  if 
Jacob  and  his  family  had  gone  directly  after  him,  which  is 
excluded  by  n_^K',  The  purpose  of  sending  the  energetic  and 
fluent  Judah  was,  that  he  might  take  information  to  Goshen 
of  the  approaching  arrival  of  the  family.  Both  1\:SP  refer  to 
Jacob ;  the  second  includes  the  obj.  of  min :  information 
before  him,  is  that  of  his  speedy  following  (comp.  Ex. 
XXXV.    34 :    to    instruct,  to    give    information).      Luther    too 

^  If  Alfred  Jeremias,  Die  Bahyhmisch-aKsyr.  Vorstdlungen  vom  Lebcn  nacli 
(km  Tode  (1887),  p.  123,  is  in  the  right,  when  he  says  that  Zion  is  called  7X^"1X 
Isa.  xxix.  1  sq.,  with  reference  to  the  Babylonio-Assyrian  Arahl,  which  on  the 
one  side  is  the  seat  of  God  (comp.  Ps.  xlviii.  3),  and  on  the  other  conceals 
within  it  the  world  beneath,  the  proper  name  ^^X"lX  (here  and  Num.  xxvi.  17) 

might  be  compared  with  the  Greek  proiier  name  'oxuftTios. 


342  GENESIS  XLVI.  29,  30. 

gives  this  explanatiou  of  the  ambiguous  words :  iit  doccat 
Juda  ct  signified  fratri  Joseph  adventare  patrem,  d  hortetur 
cum  ut  vcniat  in  Goscn  ;  the  LXX,  taking  the  commission  of 
Judah  as  an  announcement  to  Joseph,  translates  with  more 
exact  designation  of  the  place  of  meeting :  rov  Be  'lovSa 
airecTTeCKev  e/xirpoaOev  avrov  irpo^  'Icoay^cf)  crvvavrrjaac  avTu> 
KaO'  'HpwMv  TToXiv  et9  yyjv  'Pa/xeaay.  The  Memphitic  trans- 
lation has:  "at  Petom  the  city  in  the  land  of  Eamses."  The 
excavations  of  E.  Naville  (1883)  in  Tell  el-Maskhuta  make 
it  overwhelmingly  probable,  that  it  was  not  the  store-city 
Eamses,  but  Pithom  (i.e.  the  place  of  the  god  Tuen)  that  was 
situate  there.  The  inscription  EPO  CASTPtA  upon  a  stone, 
which  was  found  in  a  wall  of  the  Eoman  settlement  hard  by 
the  ruins  of  Pithom,  speaks  in  favour  of  Hero  (Heroonpolis) 
being  a  more  recent  city  near  Pithom/  It  may  well  be 
supposed  that  the  meeting  between  Jacob  and  Joseph  took 
place  here,  the  latter  coming  from  IMemphis  for  the  purpose. 
On  the  arrival  of  Jacob  and  his  family,  Joseph  hastens 
to  welcome  his  father,  ver.  29  :  And  Joseph  made  ready  his 
chariot,  and  went  iip  to  meet  his  father  to  Goshen,  and  he 
a2}peared  hefore  him  and  fell  njwii  his  neck,  and  wept  on  his 
neck  a  long  time.  The  n^y,  generally  used  of  tlie  journey  from 
tlie  valley  of  the  Nile  to  Canaan,  stands  here  for  that  from 
the  interior  of  Egypt  towards  the  wilderness  ;  and  the  t^n'?^ 
elsewhere  only  used  of  Divine  appearances,  corresponds  with 
the  VTinn  with  respect  to  the  brethren.  The  high-pitched 
expression  serves  to  designate  the  solemnity  of  the  meeting. 
He  who  falls  upon  his  neck  seems  to  be  Joseph,  but  perhaps 
it  is  Jacob  (Eeggio),  after  Joseph  had  made  himself  known 
to  his  uncertain  and  anxious  father  (conip.  the  change  of  sub- 
ject, Ps.  Ixxii.  15).  niy  (from  my,  jU  rcdirc)  means,  as  at  Euth 
i.  14,  Eccles.  vii.  28,  again  and  again,  repeatedly  and  con- 
tinually.    The  aged  father's  overwhelming  joy,  ver.  30  :  Then 

1  See  Dillmann's  article  on  "Pithom,  Hero,  Klysma,"  in  the  Report  of  the 
Royal  Academy  of  Sciences,  xxxix.,  1885. 


GENESIS  XLVI.  31-34.  343 

Israel  said  to  Joseph :  JVoiu  let  me  die,  since  I  have  seen  thy 
face,  that  thou  art  yet  alive.  A  similar  DVsn  as  at  ii.  23, 
xxix.  34,  XXX.  20,  at  the  attainment  of  a  wish.  Advice  to 
the  newly-arrived,  vv.  31-34  :  And  Joseph  said  to  his  brethren 
and  to  his  father's  house :  I  will  go  up  and  tell  Pharaoh,  and 
vjill  say  to  him  :  My  brethren  and  my  father  s  house,  ivhich  were 
in  the  land  of  Canaan,  are  come  to  me.  And  the  men  are  shep- 
herds, for  they  have  ahvays  been  hccpcrs  of  cattle,  and  they  have 
brought  with  them  their  Jioeks  and  their  herds  and  all  that  they 
have.  When  then  Pharaoh  shall  call  you  and  ash  you,  What 
is  your  occupation  ?  say  :  Thy  servants  have  been  keepers  of 
cattle  from  our  youth  up  till  noiv,  ive  as  our  fathers — that  ye 
may  divcll  in  the  land  of  Goshen,  for  every  shepherd  is  an 
abomination  to  the  Egyptians.  The  last  words  also  form  part 
of  Joseph's  address.  Kn.  lays  stress  upon  |XV,  in  distinction 
from  "ip3,  for  sheep  and  goats  were  not  among  the  Egyptians 
customary  sacrificial  animals,  because  their  flesh  did  not  forni 
part  of  the  priestly  and  royal  diet,  and  loecause  woollen  fabrics 
were  esteemed  unclean  by  the  priests  and  not  used  for  the 
apparel  of  the  dead.  But  the  conclusion,  that  shepherds  and 
goatherds  were  therefore  "^^yin  in  a  high  degree  to  the 
Egyptians,  is  not  confirmed.  Only  swineherds  were  such 
(Herod,  ii.  47),  and  they  were  nevertheless  reckoned  together 
with  cowherds  among  the  seven  castes  (Herod,  ii.  164),  both 
together  forming  the  herd  caste  (Diod.  i.  74).  The  name 
^ovKokoL  is  only  an  appellation  a  piotiori,  for  pictures  of  goat- 
keeping  and  sheep-tending  appear  on  the  monuments,  together 
with  representations  of  cattle- rearing,  while  among  the  herds 
appear  together  with  asses  and  horned  cattle,  also  sheep  and 
rams,  goats  and  he-goats  by  thousands  ;  goats,  wethers  and 
he-goats  are  being  driven  over  the  newly-sown  fields,  to  tread 
the  seed-corn  into  the  soil ;  and  the  flesh  of  sheep  and  goats 
is  customary  and  favourite  food.  In  xlvii.  17  not  only 
horned  cattle,  but  also  flocks  of  small  cattle,  are  mentioned, 
together  with  horses  and  asses,  as  property  of  the  Egyptians. 


344  GENESIS  XLVII.  1-27. 

Hence  the  statement  of  Joseph  can  only  be  a  strong  expression 
for  the  depreciation  of  the  shepherd  caste  as  the  lowest,  and 
not  for  the  depreciation  of  non-Egyptian  nomads  (Dillm.), 
for  the  reason  346  sounds  unlimited  (comp.  on  the  contrary 
xliii.  32).  Graul  in  his  Travels,  ii.  171,  remarks,  that  the 
shepherds  and  goatherds  on  the  monuments  are  depicted 
accordingly  —  they  are  all  long,  lean,  haggard,  sickly  and 
almost  ghost-like  forms,  recalling  the  famished  appearance  of 
those  Indian  castes  who  are  similarly  contrasted  with  the 
well-fed  appearance  of  the  agricultural  Brahmanic  state. 
Joseph  hopes  that  Pharaoh,  when  he  learns  their  occupation, 
will  the  more  readily  allow  them  to  dwell  in  Goshen,  far  away 
from  the  centre  of  the  country,  that  fertile  district  which  his 
brotherly  affection  intended  for  them  (xlv.  10),  while  Pharaoh 
had  only  offered  in  general  terras  to  give  up  to  them  "  the 
best  of  the  land"  (xlv.  18,  20).  At  the  same  time  Joseph's 
wisdom  sought  to  prevent  his  brethren  from  coming  to  the 
court  and  having  too  much  inclination  for,  and  contact  with 
the  Egyptians  ;  he  took  care  for  this  beforehand,  by  affixing  to 
them  a  vitium  originis  (v.  Moser). 

THE  SETTLEMENT  OF  ISEAEL  IN  EGYPT,  AND  THEIR  PROSPEROUS 
AND  CONTINUED  EXISTENCE  THERE  DURING  THE  EXTREMITY 
OF  THE  FAMINE,  CH.  XLVII.  1-27. 

The  narrator  from  ver.  1  onwards  is  J,  but  B  seems  from 
Yv.  5-11  to  have  kept  to  Q;  3p"'p  6a,  11a,  occurs  again 
indeed  only  in  the  Book  of  the  Covenant,  Ex.  xxii.  4,  and 
DpPyi  n?  is  without  further  confirmation  in  the  Hebrew 
text.  The  LXX  has  it  once  more,  xlvi.  28,  in  a  Jahvistic 
connection.  If  however  Q  has  a  share  in  the  composition, 
vv.  5—11  almost  entirely,  and  ver.  27,  belong  to  him.  Only  J 
and  E  have  claims  to  the  rest,  without  its  being  possible  to 
effect  any  certain  division. 

Joseph  now  announces  to  Pharaoh  the  arrival  of  his  family, 


GENESIS  XLVII.  1-6.  345 

ver.  1  :  And  Joseph  came  and  told  Pharaoh,  and  said :  My 
father  and  my  brethren  and  their  sheep  and  their  oxen  and  all 
that  they  leave  are  come  from  the  land  of  Canaan,  and  behold 
they  are  in  the  land  of  Goshen.  He  tlius  did  as  he  had  told 
his  brethren,  xlvi.  31  sqq.,  he  would,  when  he  also  instructed 
them  how  to  behave  towards  Pharaoh.  The  audience  and  the 
king's  decision,  vv,  2-6  :  And  out  of  the  body  of  his  brethren 
he  took  five  men  and  2}^'csented  them  unto  Pharaoh.  And 
Pharaoh  said  tinto  his  brethren :  What  is  your  occupation  ? 
And  they  said  to  Pharaoh:  Thy  servants  arc  shepherds,  both 
we  and  our  fathers.  And  they  said  to  Pharaoh:  To  sojourn  as 
strangers  in  the  land  are  we  come,  for  there  is  no  pasture  for 
thy  servants  flocks,  for  the  famine  is  sore  in  the  land  of  Canaan, 
so  thy  servants  icish  to  dwell  in  the  land  of  Goshen.  And 
Pharaoh  spake  unto  Joseph  saying :  Thy  father  and  thy 
brethren  are  come  to  thee.  The  land  of  Egypt  is  before  thee, 
in  the  best  of  the  land  make  thy  father  and  thy  brethren  to 
dwell ;  let  them  dvjell  in  the  land  of  Goshen,  and  if  thou  kmnvest 
that  there  are  able  men  among  them,  place  them  as  chief  herds- 
men over  my  property.  In  2a  n)>p'P  (with  p  raphattcm)  as  at 
Ezek.  xxxiii.  2  and  nivpo  1  Kings  xii.  31,  has  still  its  un- 
diluted original  meaning :  out  of  the  collective  whole  (this  is 
conceived  of  as  the  circumference,  comp.  xix.  4) ;  rivptp  for  the 
meaning :  a  part  (some),  is  in  use  both  in  the  Talmud  and 
already  at  Neh.  vii.  70,  Dan.  i.  2.  On  the  number  five,  see 
on  xliii.  34.  It  is  characteristic  of  the  Egyptian  custom  and 
way  of  looking  at  things,  that  the  first  question  which,  as 
Joseph  had  expected  (xlvi.  33),  is  put  to  them  by  Pharaoh, 
relates  to  their  occupation.  They  answer,  ver.  3  sq.,  truth- 
fully and  discreetly  according  to  Joseph's  directions.  nj;'"i  is  a 
generic  singular,  Ges.  §  147c,  but  certainly  a  mere  error  of 
transcription  for  "'J|'"i,  Pharaoh  grants  their  request  to  be 
allowed  to  dwell  in  Goslien,  by  authorizing  Joseph  to  settle 
his  relatives  wherever  he  chooses,  in  the  best  part  of  the  land, 
therefore  in  Goshen  as  they  desire  it,  and  directs  him,  if  he 


346  GENESIS  XLVII.  7-10. 

knows  of  competent  men  among  them,  to  make  them  chief 
keepers  of  the  royal  cattle  (which  were  consequently  in 
Goshen  as  the  best  pasture  land).  The  audience  of  the  five 
not  taking  place  in  Joseph's  presence,  the  information 
given  by  Pharaoh  to  Joseph  contains  nothing  inappropriate, 
hortatory  being  easily  transposed  into  recapitulatory  speech. 
It  is  however  evident  from  the  text  of  the  LXX,  a  text 
apparently  as  they  found  and  not  as  they  arbitrarily  corrected 
it  (Wellh.  Dillm.  Kuen.),  that  in  the  Hebrew  text  two 
accounts  are  interwoven,  that  of  J  and  that  of  Q,  who  has 
been  continuing  from  xlvi.  27  (Dillm.).  That  Q  also  related 
the  presentation  of  Jacob  to  Pharaoh,  results  even  of  itself 
from  the  analysis  of  vv.  5-11,  and  is  confirmed  by  the  LXX, 
in  which  ver.  5  of  the  Hebrew  text  is  preceded  by  :  rfkOov 
Se  619  At<yvTrrov  nTpo<;  ^Icocnjcf)  ^laKwjS  Kal  ol  viol  avrov  Koi 
I'jKovae  ^apao)  ^a(TtXev<;  AI^vtttov  koc  eiTre  ^apaoi  'irp6<i 
'Io}a7](p  kt\.  Jacob  presented  to  Pharaoh  by  Joseph,  vv. 
7-10  :  The7i  Joseph  hrought  his  father  and  set  him  before 
Pharaoh,  and  Jacob  blessed  Pharaoh.  And  Pharaoh  said  to 
Jacob  :  Hoio  many  are  the  clays  of  the  yea.rs  of  thy  life  ?  And 
Jacob  said  to  Pharaoh :  The  days  of  the  years  of  my  pilgrimage 
are  a  hundred  and  thirty  years  ;  few  and  evil  have  been  the  days 
of  the  yeai's  of  my  life,  and  have  not  attained  to  the  days  of  the 
years  of  my  fathers  in  the  days  of  their  pilgrimage.  And 
Jacob  blessed  Pharaoh,  and  went  out  from  before  Pharaoh. 
Not  till  after  the  brethren  had  given  account  to  the  king  of 
the  external  concerns  of  the  family,  because  Jacob  was  him- 
self too  old  and  infirm  to  act  independently  in  this  new  turn 
of  domestic  affairs,  did  Joseph  bring  in  his  father  also.  The 
aged  Jacob  greets  the  king  with  a  blessing.  When  the  latter 
asks  him  how  old  he  is,  he  calls  the  hundred  and  thirty  years 
of  his  life  t:j?p,  for  Abraham  lived  to  be  one  hundred  and 
seventy  and  Isaac  one  hundred  and  eighty  years  old  (xxv.  7, 
XXXV.  28),  and  he  feels  himself,  as  the  perf.  l^'^^n  Np  shows, 
near  the   end.     He   had   moreover   a   right    to    mention  the 


GENESIS  XLVir.  11-14.  o47 

O'V'J  lie  had  experienced ;  for  hard  work,  long  and  profound 
grief  and  also  much  self-inflicted  misery  lay  behind  him. 
He  regards  his  own  and  his  father's  unsettled  homeless  earthly 
life  as  a  pilgrimage,  compared  with  the  rest  beyond,  which, 
because  hidden  with  God,  is  his  true  home,  Heb.  xi.  13-16, 
comp.  JPs.  cxix.  19,  54,  xxxix.  13,  1  Cliron.  xxix.  15.  The 
narrator  is  silent  as  to  what  further  questions  on  the  part  of 
Pharaoh  followed  this  answer ;  he  only  tells  us  that  Jacob 
departed  blessing  Pharaoh,  as  he  had  also  thus  greeted  him. 
The  settlement,  ver.  11  :  And  Joseph  settled  Ids  father  and  his 
brethren  and  gave  them  a  possession  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  in 
the  best  of  the  land,  in  the  land  of  Ramses,  as  Pharaoh  had 
commanded.  The  land  of  Goshen  is  here  called  DDOj;"i  pK, 
for  which,  Ex.  i.  11,  the  Dppy"i  is  vocalized  in  pause  as  a  tri- 
syllable ;  the  appellation  of  the  eastern  pasture  land  alternates 
in  the  Hebrew  text,  and  hence  furnishes  to  analysis  no  cha- 
racteristic of  a  source. 

The  settlement  takes  place  during  the  seven  years  of 
famine,  which  furnish  the  outer  frame  of  the  narrative.  The 
narrator  (it  is  uncertain  which)  finishes  this  off,  to  return  to 
the  closing  period  of  tlie  scarcity,  ver.  12  :  And  Joseph  pjro- 
vided  his  father  and  his  brethren  and  all  his  fathom's  Jionse 
with  bread,  in  proportion  to  the  children.  The  verb  ?3?3  is, 
according  to  Ew.  §  2835,  combined  with  a  double  ace,  and 
t)t3n  "'D'^  means  properly  in  proportion  to  the  little  ones  (who 
would  eat  most,  and  whom  one  would  be  most  unwilling  to 
see  wanting),  hence  according  to  the  size  of  each  family. 
"What  is  now  related,  vv.  13-26,  is  no  interpolated  episode, 
but  shows  us  the  influential  activity  of  Joseph  in  Egypt  at  its 
culminating  point.  The  famine  increased,  and  all  the  ready 
money  came  into  the  royal  treasury,  vv.  13,  14:  And 
there  was  no  bread  in  all  the  land,  for  the  famine  was  exceed- 
ing sore,  and  the  land  of  Egypt  ivas  exhausted  and  the  land  of 
Canaan  by  reason  of  the  famine.  And  Joseph  collected  all  the 
money  that  was  found  in  the  land  of  Egypt  and  in  the  land 


348  GENESIS  XLVII.  15-20. 

of  Canaan  for  the  food  which  they  bought,  and  Joseph  hrought 
the  money  into  PharaoKs  house.  All  the  store  of  money 
in  both  countries  came  into  the  State  treasury,  which  stood 
at  the  king's  disposal.  Egypt  and  Canaan  were  both  quite 
exhausted  by  reason  of  the  continuance  of  the  famine :  ^^\ 
from  '^C?~'^?t'  whence  differing  in  form  i^!]?  Pro  v.  xxxi.  18, 
syn.  3X7  Zech.  xiv.  18,  where  v.  Hofmann  acutely  conjectures 
that  i^?^,^!  or  nnxp")  was  the  original :  thus  it  (Egypt)  was 
utterly  dried  up.  As  those  who  were  famished  could  pay  no 
more  money,  Joseph  takes  the  cattle,  which  they  possess,  as 
payment,  vv.  15—17:  *Sc>  the  money  failed  out  of  the  land  of 
Egypt  and  the  land  of  Canaan  ;  then  came  all  the  Egyptians  to 
Joseph  saying :  Give  us  bread,  for  why  should  ive  die  in  thy 
presence  ?  our  money  is  at  an  end.  And  Joseph  said. :  Give 
your  cattle,  and  I  ivill  give  you  for  the  value  of  your  cattle,  if 
the  money  is  at  an  end.  And  they  brought  their  cattle  to  Joseph, 
and  Joseph  gave  them  bread  in  exchange  for  the  horses  and  for 
the  cattle  of  the  flocks  and  the  cattle  of  the  herds  and  for  the 
asses,  and  satisfied  them  with  bread  for  the  vcdue  of  all  their 
cattle  that  year.  D3S  used  here  and  at  Ps.  Ixxvii.  9,  Isa.  xvi. 
4,  xxix.  20,  is  without  further  confirmation  in  the  Pentateuch. 
!?n?  used  here  17&  in  the  sense  to  appease,  to  quiet,  proceeds 
from  the  meaning  to  rest,  to  lie  down,  which  Friedr.  Delitzsch 
(in  the  Athenaeum,  1883,  p.  569  sq.,  and  often  since)  has 
shown  to  be  the  root-meaning  of  bn:,  Assyr.  nahdlu,  synon, 
of  ndliu  and  rabdsit,  accordincf  to  v>'hich  2  Chron.  xxxii.  22  is 
also  explained,  without  our  needing  to  read  Qp?  ^^%  hence : 
he  satisfied  them  with  bread.  The  further  offer  to  which 
they  are  compelled  by  want  next  year,  vv,  18-20  :  And  that 
year  ended,  and  they  came  to  him  in  the  second  year  and  said 
to  him :  We  cannot  conceal  from  my  loi'd,  but  (must  tell)  that 
our  money  and  possession  in  cattle  is  go7ie  to  my  lord,  there  is 
nothing  left  in  the  sight  of  my  lord  bid  our  bodies  and  our  land. 
Why  should  we  die  before  thine  eyes,  both  we  and  our  land  ? 
Buy  us  and  our  land  for  bread,  and  we  and  our  land  ivill  be 


GENESIS  XLVII.  21.  349 

slaves  to  Pharaoh,  and  give  us  seed,  that  we  may  live  and  not 
die,  and  thai  the  land  may  not  lie  icaste.  And  Joseph  bought 
all  the  cidtivatcd  land  of  Egyiit  for  Pharaoh,  for  the  Egyptians 
sold  ea,ch  man  his  field,  because  the  famine  compelled  ihein  ;  so 
the  land  became  Pharaolis.  The  peculiar  expression  '^}^'^  Cinni 
has  its  equal  only  at  Ps.  cii.  28.  ''J"'^<  is  used  as  Monsieur  is, 
though  several  are  speaking.  "D^?  ^3  is  not  to  be  separated : 
"  that  as  .  .  ."  it  is  the  usual  "  but,"  to  be  explained  by  means 
of  an  ellipsis  {e.g.  after  solemn  affirmations,  2  Sam.  xv.  21, 
1  Kings  XX.  6,  2  Kings  v.  20).  They  offer  themselves  and 
their  lands  as  payment ;  the  latter  to  become  crown  property, 
themselves  bondmen ;  H'la  (everywhere  else  corpse)  here  as  at 
Dan.  X.  6,  Ezek.  i.  11,  23,  ISTeli.  ix.  37.  To  die  and  to  become 
slaves  is  by  a  zeugma  referred  also  to  the  land,  as  the  latter 
expression  is  at  xliii.  18  to  the  asses.  The  intrans.  Kal  form 
D^'n  from  Qp*f  is  found  also  Ezek.  xii.  1 9,  xix.  7.  We  translate 
ver.  21  according  to  the  LXX :  And  he  made  the  people  bond- 
men from  one  end  of  the  realm  of  Egypt  to  the  other.  Such  is 
the  thought  which  we  expect  according  to  ver.  20,  viz.  that 
Joseph  made  the  people  themselves  vassals  to  Pharaoh.  TLe 
LXX  answers  to  this  expectation,  and  like  the  Sam.  and 
Hebr.  Sam.  translates  :  Kal  rov  Xaov  KareSovXcoaaTo  avrw  et? 
7rat8a<f.  Hence  it  must  have  read  (comp.  also  Jerome):  Dyrrnsi 
D"'n3y^  int<  Tnyn,  i.e.  according  to  a  like  causative  meaning  of 
the  Hiphil,  as  at  Jer.  xvii.  4  :  and  he  made  him  (viz.  Pharaoh) 
enslave  the  people  to  slaves;  Houbigant,  Kn.  Dillm.  Pieuss, 
Kamph.  {Jcnaer  LZ.  1876,  p.  170)  find  this  reading  correct, 
and  in  fact  it  entirely  obviates  the  difficulties  of  the  Masoretic 
text.  The  latter  can  mean  nothing  else,  than  that  Joseph 
translocated  the  agricultural  population  from  one  end  of  the 
kingdom  to  the  other,  ""^^vn  to  cause  to  depart  from  one 
place  to  another.  The  translocation  took  place  for  the 
sake  of  removing  from  the  soil  those  whose  property  it  liad 
hitherto  been,  and  of  thus  avoiding  future  disturbances.  But 
what  is  the  meaninf?  of  CiV?  ?     According  to  Onk.  Eosenm. 


350  GENESIS  XLVII.  22-26. 

Ges.  Tiich,  Eeggio  :  from  one  city  to  another  ("I'^V?  'T'V'?  2  Chron. 
XXX.  10);  but  Dnyn'bs,  which  we  expect  instead  of  ^^']Vb,  if  it 
is  to  be  a  statement  of  the  place  whither,  could  not  have  this 
meaning.  Perhaps  Dny^  of  the  Masoretic  text  is  to  be  under- 
stood distributively :  according  to  each  city  (like  ^'^n?  every 
fifth,  26a,  comp.  Josh.  vii.  14),  and  what  is  meant  is,  that  he 
divided  the  whole  people  among  those  towns  in  which  the 
granaries  at  that  time  were,  and  which  were  also  subsequently 
to  form  the  centres  of  appointed  districts,  vofiol  (comp.  xli,  48). 
But  however  it  may  be  explained,  the  expression  is  too  scanty 
and  inexplicit — the  authentic  text  is  that  reproduced  by  the 
LXX.  Exemption  of  the  landed  property  of  the  priests, 
ver.  2  2 :  Only  the  land  of  the  priests  bought  he  not,  for  the 
priests  had  an  appointed  'portion  from  Pharaoh,  and  ate  their 
appointed  portion,  v'hich  Pharaoh  gave  them,  therefore  they  sold 
not  their  land.  The  lands  of  the  priests  were  inalienable  ;  nor 
did  they  need  to  alienate  them,  since  they  were  besides  pro- 
tected from  famine  ;  ^h  a  legal  appointment,  something  legally 
appointed,  here  both  times  in  the  latter  concrete  sense,  as  at 
Ps.  Ixxxi.  4  and  Prov.  xxxi.  15.  Taxation  of  the  people, 
vv.  23—26:  And  Joseph  said  to  the  people:  Behold,  I  have 
bought  you  this  day  and  your  land  for  Pharaoh ;  here  is  seed 
for  you,  and  sow  ye  the  land.  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  at  the 
ingatlicrings  that  ye  shall  render  a  fifth  to  Pharaoh,  and  four 
parts  shall  belong  to  you  for  the  sowing  cf  the  field,  and  for  your 
food,  and  that  of  your  households  and  children.  And  they  said : 
Thou  hast  saved  our  lives,  let  us  fi7id  grace  in  the  eyes  of  my 
lord,  and  we  icill  be  bondmen  to  Pharaoh.  And  Joseph  made 
it  a  law  to  this  day  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  that  to  the  amount  of 
a  fifth  should  belong  to  Pharaoh,  only  the  land  of  the  priests, 
that  alone  became  not  Pharaoh's.  The  demonstrative  i^fl  23& 
occurs  again  only  Dan.  ii.  43,  Ezek.  xvi.  43,  comp.  Nn  Dan. 
iii.  25.  The  n  of  nsiariB  is  the  temporal,  at  the  ingatherings, 
i.e.  as  often  as  the  harvest  is  gathered  and  brought  home.  We 
already  had  n'T  in  the  meaning  "parts"  at  xliii.  34  (five  parts 


GENESIS  XLVII.  23-26.  351 

=  five  times),     '"^n^*  26a  refers  neutrally  to  what  has  been 
just  related,  and  to  this  Joseph  gave  the  character  of  a  fixed 
ordinance.     The  soil  of  Egypt  was,  from  this  time  onwards, 
partly  royal  domain  and  partly  the  property  of  the   priestly 
caste.     According  to  Diodor.  i.  73,  it  was  divided  into  three 
parts,  the  third  belonging  to  the  warrior   caste.     According 
also    to    Herodotus    (ii.    168),  it   was  among    the   privileges 
(yipea)  of  the  warriors    to  have  their  own  share  of  landed 
property,  every  warrior  receiving  for  his  own  twelve  excellent 
apovpai  exempt  from  taxation.      The  Scripture  narrative  how- 
ever tells  us  nothing  of  the   exemption   from    taxation  and 
landed  property  of  the  soldiers,  because  this  appointment  was 
of    later  origin ;    it   was   cancelled  by  Sethos   the  priest   of 
Hephaestos,  when  he  came  to  the  throne  (Herod,  ii.  141).     We 
cannot  expect  a   remembrance  that  it  was   through  Joseph 
that  all  the  land  in  Egypt  became  the  property  of  the  crown, 
from  those  who  report  according  to  the  statements  of  Egyp- 
tians.    According   to   Herod,   ii.   109,  Diodor.  i.  73,  it  was 
^ea(oaTpt,<;   {^ea6coaL<i)  who  divided  the  country  into  thirty- 
six  vofxot,  and  made  it  over  by  square  measurements  to  the 
Egyptians  for  a  yearly  tribute  (comp.  Artapanus  in  Euseb. 
Fraep.  9.  23).     That  a  certain  allowance  of  provisions  was,  as 
the  scriptural  report  declares,  given  by  the  king  to  the  priests, 
and  that  this  obviated  the  alienation  of  their  lands  in  the  years 
of  famine,  was  an  ordinance  v/hich  may  have  been  afterwards 
annulled,  because  their  landed  property  more  than  sufiiciently 
supplied  their  wants.      Diodorus  at  least  (i.  73)  reports,  that 
the   Egyptian   priests   defray    the    expenses   of  the   national 
offerings  and  support  themselves  and  their  servants  out  of 
the  revenues  of  tlieir  lands.     Herodotus  also  says  (ii.  37)  that 
the  priests  have  no  need  to  use  their  private  property  (rcLv 
oUrjicov)  for  their  support,  but  that  their  sacred  bread  is  baked 
for  them,  and  that  each  ikKdara))  has  daily  a  quantity  of  goose 
and  beef  for  his  consumption,  that  grape  wine  is  also  given 
them,  viz.  the  produce  of  the  farming  of  the  order — that  each 


352  GENESIS  XL VII.  27. 

lives  very  well,  and  at  the  expense  of  the  community.  The 
proceedings  of  Joseph  preserved,  in  the  first  place,  the  interest 
of  the  king  and  respected  the  privileges  of  the  priests,  but 
abolished  the  free  peasant  class.  It  is  left  to  the  readers  to 
pass  their  moral  and  politico-economical  verdict  upon  them. 
Joseph  undoubtedly  had  in  view  no  less  the  good  of  the 
country  than  that  of  the  king,  when  changing  the  dispro- 
portionately divided  landed  property  into  uniform  parcels  of 
copyhold  liable  to  rent.  Besides,  the  tribute  of  a  fifth  was, 
with  the  astonishing  fertility  of  Egypt,  a  very  tolerable  burden. 
Nevertheless  G.  B.  Niebuhr  is  in  the  right  when  he  says, 
that  the  history  of  Joseph  is  a  dangerous  model  for  crafty 
ministers.  Nor  can  Ebrard  and  others  be  contradicted  when 
they  assert,  that  in  Joseph's  financial  speculation,  as  well  as 
in  Jacob's  bargaining  for  the  birthright,  one  of  the  unamiable 
sides  of  Semitic  (Jewish)  hereditary  peculiarity  comes  to  light. 

Ver.  27  now  returns  to  the  family  of  Jacob  in  Goshen,  of 
whom  we  certainly  have  to  think  as  not  exempted  from  the 
fee  levied  upon  the  whole  country :  And  Israel  divelt  in  the 
land  of  Egyjot,  in  the  land  of  Goshen  ;  ayid  they  settled  therein, 
and  they  were  fruitful  and  multiplied.  The  close,  especially 
211),  is  in  the  style  of  Q  (xxxiv.  10,  xxxv.  11). 

We  have  now  arrived  at  the  place  for  discussing  more 
particularly,  than  has  hitherto  been  done  at  xlvi.  28,  the 
province  of  Goshen  (LXX  Teaefx,  Artapanus  in  Euseb.  Kaiadv, 
Keaadv).  It  is  to  be  sought  for  in  Lower  Egypt  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Nile.  Its  eastern  boundary  was  the  desert  of 
Arabia-Petraea  leading  towards  Philistia  (Ex.  xiii.  17,  comp. 
1  Chron.  vii.  21),  on  which  account  the  LXX  translate,  xlv. 
10,  xlvi.  34,  FeaefM  'Apa^La<;.  On  the  west  it  extended  as 
far  as  the  Nile,  for  the  Israelites  had  abundance  of  fish.  Num. 
xi.  5.  Which  part  of  the  Nile  w^as  its  western  boundary  will 
be  determined,  according  as  the  question.  Which  was  then  the 
royal  city  ?  is  answered.  For  Goshen  was  not  very  far  from 
this,  since  Joseph  there  had  his  family  near  him,  xlv.  10, 


GENESIS  XLVII.  27.  353 

and  there  was  easy  and  rapid  intercourse  between  Goslien 
and  Joseph's  dwelling-place,  xlvi.  28,  xlviii.  1  sq.  Num.  xiii. 
22,  conip.  Ps.  Ixxviii.  12,  43,  is  appealed  to,  to  show  that 
Tanis  ly'v  was  then  the  capital  (Bochart,  Ilgst.  Baumg.  Kurtz) ; 
but  this  testimony  holds  good  only  for  the  time  of  ]\Ioses,  not 
for  the  time  of  Josei)h.  In  his  time  Memphis  (on  the  left 
bank  of  the  Xile  south  of  the  subsequent  Cairo),^  Hebr.  Cjb  or 
5)3  (see  on  Isa.  xix,  13),  founded,  according  to  Herodotus,  ii.  99, 
before  Menes,  was  tlie  royal  city  with  its  famed  Ptah-temple, 
which  stood  where  are  now  found  the  monuments,  and  among 
them  the  Colossus  Ilamses  (the  Sesostris  Colossus  of  the 
ancients)  at  Mitrahine.  Philo  also  thinks  of  Memphis.  In  or 
near  to  Goshen  lay,  at  the  time  of  the  exodus,  the  cities  ons 
and  Dppy"i,  magazine  -  cities,"  provisioned  fortresses,  in  the 
building  of  which  the  Israelites  were  compulsorily  employed, 
Ex.  i.  11.  Goshen  is  at  xlvii.  11  anticipatively  called  P^ 
DDrpyi  (Targ.  Jer.  rp^^^an  xyix),  from  Ptamses,  the  place  of 
assembly  and  departure  at  the  time  of  the  exodus,  Ex.  xii. 
37,  Num.  xxxiii,  5.  Pithom  is  Uarovfio^,  past  which  flowed, 
according  to  Herod,  ii.  158,  the  canal  from  the  Pelusian 
branch  of  the  Nile  to  the  Ptcd  Sea  (irapa  ndrovixov  rrjv 
'Apa^tav  ttoXlv)  ;  it  was  a  city  dedicated  to  the  god  Tuni, 
the  ruins  of  which,  as  E.  Naville  has  shown  (see  on  xlvi.  29), 
are  concealed  in  the  Tell  el-Maskhuta ;  while,  on  the  other 
hand,  Lepsius'  and  others  take  this  for  the  situation  of 
Eamses  (Pa-Iiamses-Miamun),  and  transfer  Pa-Tum  to  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  Tell  Abu  Sulcinan.  In  any  case  Goshen 
lay  to  the  west  of  the  Wadi  Tumilat,  which  originally  be- 
longed to  the  desert,  and  the  cities  of  Pithom  and  Ramses 
about  denote  the  line  of  the  southern  boundary  of  Goshen. 

1  See  A.  Wiedeniaun's  essay,  "The  Age  of  Memi>liis,"  in  the  Biblieo-Archieo- 
logical  Proceedings,  1887,  pp.  184-190. 

-  Magazine  is  the  Arabic    .,;^^,  ni33DD  '*'}V  are  cities  witli  stone  houses, 

li>  :   :    •         ••  T 

whence  the  people  are  provided  for  (from  pD  to  provide  for,  Friedr.  Delitzsoh, 
Proleg.  186). 
^  Ztitschr.  fiir  'i<j.  Sprache  u.  AUertliumakunde,  1883. 
VOL.  II.  Z 


354  GENESIS  XLVII.  27. 

Its  eastern  boundary  was,  according  to  Ebers,  the  Isthmus  of 
Suez  and  the  line  of  fortifications  that  protected  the  country 
against  its  eastern  neighbours.  Of  the  western  boundary  the 
extreme  southern  point  was  the  city  of  Heliopolis,  the  northern 
that  of  Tanis.  On  the  north  it  was  terminated  by  the  Menzale 
lake  and  the  marsh  of  Pelusium.  Hence  it  would  reach  west- 
ward as  far  as  the  Tanitic  branch  of  the  Nile.  But  perhaps 
it  did  not  extend  so  far  either  westward  or  northward ;  it  may 
have  been  bounded  on  the  west  and  north  by  the  Pelusian 
branch  of  the  Nile  ;  and  Fakus  (according  to  Ebers/  Pa  [_Pha\ 
Kos  =  )"?f'3)  have  been  its  northern  point.  The  district  thus 
bounded  comprised  both  desert  and  cultivated  land.  At  present 
the  Pelusian  branch  of  the  Nile  is  quite  choked  up  with  sand, 
and  the  country  is  less  frequently  covered  by  the  Nile,  but  the 
region  of  Bubastos,  as  far  as  the  entrance  of  the  AVadi  Tumilat, 
and  for  the  greater  part  the  latter  itself,  the  Wadi  Sebabiar 
and  other  districts,  are  still  capable  of  cultivation,  while  there 
are    some    which    are   like  luxuriant    gardens.      The    region, 

whose  name  partly  coincides  with  Goshen,  a,'ji^A]l  ^,^1  (the 
eastern  district),  is  still  one  of  the  most  fertile  and  lucrative 
provinces.  Its  capital  is  Bclhis,  according  to  which  Makrizi 
determines  the  western  boundary  of  Goshen.  North-east  of 
it  lies  Sadir  (between  Abbasie  and  Chasbi),  by  which  Saad., 
the  Arabic  translators  and  Samar.  render  IIJ'J ;  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  this  Sadir,  Arab  tribes  were  settled,  as  Makrizi 
{Ueber  die  in  Acg.  cingcwandcrtcn  Stdmme,  ed.  by  Wiistenfeld, 
p.  39  sqq.)  states,  like  Israel  in  ancient  times.^  Of  the  whole 
period  between  the  130th  and    147th  years  of  Jacob's  life 

1  See  his  Durcli  Gosen  zwm  Sinai,  2nd  edit.  p.  519,  and  "Historical  Truths 
of  Israel's  Sojourn  in  Egypt,"  in  the  Sunday  School  Times,  1887,  No.  18  (in 
which  he  always  identities  Rameses,  for  the  building  of  which  the  'Aperu  are 
dragging  bricks,  with  Tanis,  and  the  ^Ajjtru  with  D"'"l3y). 

-  We  leave  out  of  consideration  the  view,  which  Cope  Whitehouse,  in  the 
Proceedings  of  the  Biblico- Archaeological  Association,  1885-86,  seeks,  after  the 
precedent  of  Jablonski  (in  the  Pantheon  Aegyj^itiorum),  with  great  confidence 
whimsically  to  confirm,  that  Goshen  was  Fajiim,  with  the  adjacent  districts 
of  the  Nile  valley,  in  a  northern  direction  towards  Gizeh  and  Heliopolis. 


GENESIS  XLVir.  28-31.  355 

nothing  further  is  told  us,  than  that  Israel   settled  and  in- 
creased  in  this  district. 

TESTAMENTARY  DISPOSITIONS  OF  JACOB, 
CH.  XLVII.  28-XLVIII. 

From  this  sketchy  remark,  in  which  the  threads  of  the 
history  of  Israel  are  again  taken  up,  the  narrator  proceeds  to 
the  testamentary  dispositions  of  Jacob.  The  fourth  section  of 
the  Toledoth  of  Jacob  commences  here.  Jacob  has  become 
much  older  since  his  entry  into  Egypt,  and  feels  that  his 
death  is  near,  vv.  28-31  :  A^id  Jacob  lived  in  the  land  of 
Egypt  seventeen  years,  so  that  the  days  of  Jaeoh,  the  years  of  his 
life,  amoimted  to  one  hundred  and  forty-seven  years.  And  the 
days  of  Israel  drew  nigh  to  death,  and  he  called  his  son  Joseph 
and  said  to  him :  If  I  have  found  grace  in  thine  eyes,  put,  I 
pray  thee,  thy  hand  under  my  thigh  and  deal  kindly  and  truly 
ivith  me :  Bury  me  not  in  Egypt,  hut  let  me  lie  with  my  fatliers, 
amd  take  me  out  of  Egypt  and  hury  me  in  their  burying -place 
— and  he  said :  I  loill  do  according  to  thy  word.  Ayid  he 
said :  Swear  unto  me ;  and  he  swore  to  him,  and  Israel  stretched 
himself  upon  the  head  of  the  bed.  Apart  from  ver.  28,  we 
have  the  text  of  J,  according  to  whom  Jacob's  wish  and 
intention  with  respect  to  his  burying  is  related ;  the  direction 
is  here  given  to  Joseph  and  repeated  to  the  twelve,  xlix. 
29-32,  according  to  the  text  of  Q.  How  Jahvistic  the  style 
is,  is  shown  by  parallels  such  as  "  the  days  draw  nigh  to 
death,"  Deut.  xxxi.  14  ;  >5^"2X  xviii.  3  and  frequently,  the  kind 
and  manner  of  the  corporeal  oath,  as  at  xxiv.  2  ;  nosi  ipn 
xxiv.  49,  xxxii.  11  ;  "to  lie  with  (pV)  the  fathers,"  as  at  Deut. 
xxxi.  16,  and  in  the  kindred  Deuteronomistic  remarks  in  the 
book  of  Kings,  1  Kings  ii.  10.  Jacob  desires  Joseph  to  put  his 
hand  under  his  thigh,  and  thus  to  assure  him  on  the  ground 
of  the  covenant  of  circumcision  made  with  Abraham,  the  actual 
proof  of  faithful  love,  that  he  will  not  bury  him  in  Egypt,  but 


356  GENESIS  XLVII.  28-31. 

with  his  fathers  in  Canaan  (1.  4) — in  the  promised  land,  which 
is  appointed  to  he  the  place  of  the  promised  redemption. 
Joseph  swears.  His  aged  father  had  sat  up  in  his  bed  for 
the  purpose.  And  after  Joseph  has  sworn,  Israel  (for  so 
is  he  called  at  this  solemn  moment)  stretches  himself  upon 
the  n^^n  t^'Kh.  To  rise  from  the  bed,  sitting  up  in  which  he 
had  talked  with  Joseph,  and  cast  himself  upon  the  ground, 
to  thank  God  for  the  proof  of  His  mercy  involved  in 
Joseph's  sworn  promise,  was  not  possible  to  him,  because 
of  the  infirmity  of  age.  Hence  he  imitates  the  '^^J!^|!i^''? 
by  turning  himself  (like  David,  1  Kings  i.  47)  in  the  bed, 
and  stretches  himself  towards  its  top,  worshipping  with  his 
face  downwards,  Vulg.  adoravit  Deum  convcrsus  ad  leduli 
caimt  Cohmer,  on  the  contrary :  he  bowed  himself  at  the 
head  of  the  bed  in  the  direction  towards  its  foot.  According 
to  a  different  vocalization,  LXX  (Syr.  It.,  comp.  Heb.  xi.  21) : 
irpoareKvvqaev  'laparjX  iirl  to  uKpov  tov  pd/3Sov  (nt^^H)  avrov 
=  avTov,  as  Rabanus  Maurus  remarks.  According  to  this 
reading  he  made  use  of  the  staff,  with  which  he  had  walked 
all  his  life  (xxxii.  11),  to  raise  himself  in  the  bed,  and  now 
worshipped  upon  it,  while  calling  to  mind  God's  help  during 
his  pilgrimage  and  its  end  in  another  world.  This  passage, 
xlvii.  28-31,  is  the  first  portion  from  the  last  days  of  Jacob. 
The  second,  ch.  xlviii.,  relates  his  adoption  and  blessing  of 
his  two  grandsons.  The  narrative  as  we  have  it  accredits 
itself  as  a  mosaic  from  all  three  sources :  vv.  3-6  (7)  is 
from  Q,  all  the  rest  from  JB,  but  so  that  notwithstanding 
editorial  intervention,  the  portions  respectively  derived  from 
J  and  U  can  still  be  distinguished.  Following  Dillm.  and 
Budde  (art.  on  Gen.  xlviii.  7  and  the  adjoining  sections  in 
Stade's  Zeitschr.  iii.  5  6  sqq.),  we  separate  them  as  follows : 
J,  1  sq.  8  sq.  13  sq.  17-19  ;  U,  10-12,  15  sq.  20,  21  sq. ; 
Kuenen  claims  for  U,  vv.  1  sq.  8-12,  15  sq.  20-22.  In  the 
introduction  to  ch.  xlv.  we  already  stated,  that  here  in  ch. 
xlviii.  neither  bxib'"'  (for  apy)  nor  DNnfjN  (for  which  we  expect 


GENESIS  XLVlir.  l-C  357 

nvT  ver.  20)  is  a  certain  token  of  a  source.  What  is  decisive 
both  here  and  elsewhere  is,  that  the  two  threads  of  the 
narrative,  which  B  (perhaps  already  the  redactor  of  JB) 
intertwined,  can  be  separated.  The  case  of  ver.  7  is  peculiar. 
Budde  brings  forward  the  conjecture,  that  in  xlix.  31  S"ii"nxi 
originally  stood  also  after  nx^Tix,  that  a  redactor  expunged 
this,  and  for  it  inserted  the  wording  of  xlviii.  7  from  xxxv. 
16a,  19.  The  conjecture  is  supported  by  the  expedient, 
that  according  to  Q  Rachel  also  was  buried  in  the  cave  of 
Machpelah.  But  we  are  certainly  told  that  Eachel  died  on 
the  journey  from  Aramaea  to  Canaan,  was  buried  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Ephrath,  and  by  no  means  at  Hebron ;  and 
her  death  being  the  consequence  of  the  birth  of  Benjamin, 
xxxv.  26,  must  be  accommodated  to  this.  If  xlviii.  7  is  really 
a  "  lost  post,"  it  must  have  become  such  some  other  way. 

The  aged  and  bed-ridden  patriarch  carried  out  this  con- 
firmation by  oath  of  his  desire,  xlvii.  29,  in  anticipation  of 
his  approaching  death.  He  is  now  actually  ill,  the  end 
seems  imminent,  and  Joseph  is  summoned,  vv.  1,  2  :  And 
it  came  to  pass  after  these  things,  ivhen  Joscjph  was  told,  Behold, 
thy  father  is  sieJc,  and  he  took  his  two  sons  with  him,  Manasseh 
and  Ephraim.  And  ivhcn  they  told  Jacob,  and  said :  Behold,  thy 
son  Joseph  has  come  to  thee,  and  Israel  strengthened  himself  and 
sat  up  in  led.  Both  "ip^^'l  and  "i.2!j!  have  the  most  general  subject, 
as  at  xliii.  34,  and,  according  to  the  extant  text,  xlii.  25  also.* 
The  interchange  of  the  names  2pj;^  and  ^xib'"'  is  not  everywhere 
so  significant  as  here.  Jacob  lies  down  sick,  Israel  draws  him- 
self up.  On  the  arrival  of  Joseph,  Jacob  begins  to  speak  of  the 
blessing  and  the  promises  of  God,  by  reason  of  which  he 
raises  Joseph's  two  sons,  as  though  they  were  his  own,  to  the 
station  of  ancestors  of  two  independent  tribes  in  the  nation 
descending  from  him,  vv.   3-6  :  And  Jacob  said  to  Joseph  : 

'  Jewish  expositors  in  such  cases  explain  ^l2X''^  =  1^3X11  "ltt5<'1>  '"I'l  this  cor- 
responds with  the  spirit  of  Semitic  speech  (see  Driver  in  the  Expositor,  18S7, 
p.  260). 


358  GENESIS  XLVIII.  7. 

El  "Saddaj  appeared  to  me  and  blessed  me  in  Liiz  in  the  land 
of  Canaan,  and  said,  to  me :  Behold,  I  make  thee  fruitful  and 
numerous,  and  tnake  thee  a  company  of  peoples,  and  give  this 
land  to  thy  seed  after  thee  for  an  everlasting  possession.  Now 
then,  thy  two  sons,  v)hich  were  horn  to  thee  in  the  land  of  Egypt, 
hefore  I  came  to  thee  to  Egypt,  are  mine,  Ephraim  and  Man- 
asseh  shall  he  mine  like  Ecuhen  and  Simeon.  And  thy  seed, 
which  thou  hast  begotten  after  them,  shall  be  thine,  after  the 
name  of  their  brethren  shall  they  he  called  in  their  inheritance. 
The  manifestation  of  God,  to  which  Jacob  looks  back,  is  that 
which  was  vouchsafed  to  him  in  Luz-Bethel  after  his  return 
from  Aramaea,  xxxv.  6  sq.,  9—15  ;  the  wording  of  the  promise, 
however,  is  more  closely  in  unison  with  that  given  to  him 
when  going  to  Aramaea,  xxviii.  3  sq.  The  placing  of  Ephraim 
first,  in  opposition  to  their  succession  in  age,  ver.  1,  comp. 
xli.  50-52,  is  done  in  accordance  with  the  express  declaration 
of  purpose  which  follows  farther  on.  Jacob  places  Ephraim 
and  Manasseh  on  a  level  with  his  own  first  and  second  born 
sons  as  independent  heads  of  tribes,  while,  on  the  contrary, 
Joseph's  other  sons  form  no  separate  tribes,  but  are  to  be 
reckoned  as  belonging  to  the  tribes  of  their  brethren.  Jacob's 
speech  is  interrupted  by  a  reference  to  Rachel,  Joseph's 
mother,  ver.  7  :  And  as  for  me — lohen  I  came  from  Paddcm, 
Rachel  died  from  me  in  the  land  of  Canaan,  in  the  way,  a 
kibra  of  land  before  Ephrath,  and  I  buried  her  there  on  the 
way  to  Ephrath,  ivhich  is  Bethlehem.  In  the  presence  of 
Joseph,  the  remembrance  of  his  never-forgotten  wife  thrills 
powerfully  through  him.  It  is  as  though  he  wanted  to  lead 
Joseph  to  his  mother's  grave,  and  there  to  give  him  or  receive 
from  him  a  promise.  His  regarding  Ephraim  and  Manasseh, 
who  were  by  birth  natives  of  Egypt,  as  his  immediate  sons 
by  Eachel,  also  redounds  to  the  honour  of  this  prematurely 
lost  wife.  It  is  essentially  thus  that  Kn.  also  explains  the 
apparently  uncaused,  and  in  any  case  abrupt  close  of  Jacob's 
speech.      Budde  sees  in  ver.  7   as  thus  explained  "  a  senti- 


GENESIS  XLVIir.  8-12.  359 

mentally  dramatic  picture  "  which  was  not  to  be  expected  in  a 
historical  book,  and  least  of  all  in  Q.      But  even  if  it  is  less 
coloured   up,  the   fact  still   remains   that   it    is   in   Joseph's 
presence  that  the  remembrance  of  Eachel   forces  itself  upon 
the  patriarch,  and  that  the  reason  for  his  self-interruption  is 
to  be  sought  for  in  i<"i*1  8a,  while,  on  the  contrary,  in  ^'s  own 
text  the  request  to  bury  him  with  his  fathers  in  the  cave  of 
Machpelah,  xlix.  29-32,  is  joined  on  to  xlviii.  7  (Nold.  Dillra.). 
Omitting    in    thought    the    introduction    commencing   '131  iv;'i 
xlix.    29a,   which   was   induced   by  the  interstratification  of 
xlviii.  8— xlix.  28,  the  ''3X1  here  fitly  continues  the  V^  there: 
he  buried  Eachel  in  Ephrath,  but  yet  desires  to  rest  with  his 
fathers  in  Hebron.      vV  nnp  implies  that  he  possessed  her,  and 
that  by  dying  she  was   torn  from  him ;  i"^?  alone  for  mx  pa 
occurs  nowhere  else,    but  why  should  not  this   abbreviation 
be  possible  ?      nnb  JT'n  Nin,  on  the  contrary,  is  a  gloss,  but  in 
itself  not  a  false  one,  taken  over  from  xxxv.  19  (see  on  this 
passage).       The  patriarch,  who   was   almost  blind,  interrupts 
himself,  now  first  perceiving  that  he  is  not  with  Joseph  only, 
vv.  8,  9  :  And  Israel  heheld  JosejjJis  sons  and  said :    Who  arc 
these?  And  Joseph  said  to  his  father :  They  arc  my  sons  who?/ 1, 
Elohim  hath  given  me  here.      And  he  said :  Bring  them  hither 
to  me  that  I  may  bless  them.      The  narrator   is  J :   nf3  hoc  loco, 
as  at  xxxviii.  21  sq.,  Ex.  xxiv.  14.      '^P!)?^,'!.  has  in  Baer  pausal 
Segol  according  to  the  Masora  (as  at  ^^T,  Deut.  xxxii.   11), 
against    which    Tsere    is    witnessed    for    by    Num.    vi.    27. 
His  grandsons  brought   to  Jacob,  embraced  by  him,  and  led 
away,  vv.  10-12:   A7id  the  eyes  of  Israel  were  dim  from  age, 
he  coidd  not  sec,  and  he  hrought  them  nearer   to  him,  and  he 
kissed  them  and  embraced  tlicm..      And  Israel  said  to  Joseph  : 
I  did  not  think  to  see  thy  face  again,  and  behold  Elohim  Itath 
given  me  to  see  thy  seed  also.      Then  Joscpli  led  them  away  from, 
his  knees  and  bowed  himself  in  his  presence  to  the  earth.     The 
patriarch  had  sat  up  in  the  bed  as  one  about  to  rise,  so  that 
he  could  take  the  two  between  his  knees,  kiss  them,  and  press 


360  GENESIS  XLVIII.  13,  14. 

them  to  his  heart  (P^J  and  p^n  with  a  Dat.  as  at  xxix.  13), 
from  which  it  by  no  means  follows,  that  the  narrator  thought 
of  them  as  little  children  ;  they  were  youths,  but  still  under 
age  and  under  the  guidance  of  their  fatlier.  The  inf.  constr. 
nx-i  is  like  nb'i?  equally  used  for  rmv,  xxxi.  28,  1.  20,  Ges. 
§  75,  note  2.  P?3  elsewhere  to  decide,  to  judge,  has  here  the 
more  general  signification  of  thinking,  and  the  1  sing.  perf.  is 
in  the  pausal  form  ^riP73,  occurring  in  only  four  verbs,  see 
Koenig,  Lehrgeh.  i.  189.  It  is  questionable  whether  ^Bxp  refers 
to  Joseph,  so  as  to  be  equivalent,  as  at  Num.  xxii.  31,  to  D'SN 
elsewhere  {e.g.  xlii.  6),  or  to  Jacob,  and  is  so  equivalent  to 
VJSp,  which  is,  according  to  1  Sam.  xxv.  23,  comp.  2  Sam. 
xviii.  28,  not  less  permissible,  and  seems  to  me  preferable. 
The  LXX  has  koX  irpoa-eKvvrjaav  avra.  (not  avrov  as  in 
Lagarde,  1883).  The  prostration  is  here  the  reverent  expres- 
sion of  Joseph's  thankfulness  to  Jacob  for  the  affection  shown 
towards  his  two  sons.  In  the  present  combination  of  the 
extracts  from  different  sources,  the  thankfulness  is  at  the  same 
time  a  request.  For  he  leads  them  back  to  his  father,  who 
blesses  them,  giving  to  the  younger  the  preference  above  the 
elder,  vv.  13,  14:  Then  Joseph  took  the  hvo,  Ephraim  in  his 
right  hand  to  Israel's  left,  and  Manassch  in  his  left  hand  to 
Israel's  right,  and  hrought  them  near  to  him.  Then  Israel 
stretched  out  his  right  hand  and  laid  it  tipon  the  head  of 
Ephraim,  althongh  he  was  the  younger,  and  his  left  upon  the 
head  of  Manasseh  :  he  crossed  his  hands  ;  for  Manasseh  was  the 
first-horn.  The  perf.  ^^b'  stands  syntactically  (as  at  Qi?'  xxi.  14), 
wliere  the  part,  would  also  be  allowable.  Luther  translates  like 
Onk.  Saad.  Grsec.-A^en. :  and  did  thus  wittingly  with  his  hands ; 
on  the  other  hand,  the  tradition  of  both  the  Greek  and  Latin 
Churches  takes  this  laying  on  of  hands  of  Jacob  as  being  in 
its  correct  translation :  he  entwined,  i.e.  crossed  them,  one  of 
the  most  ancient  types  of  the  cross,  LXX  evaXKa^,  and 
similarly  Syr.  Targ.  II.  Ar.-Samar.  Tavus  Vulg.,  from  ^3b^ 
complicare  =  ^dE'   ( J^)   in    -'^'f ^   C''^-'?)   a  plait,  a  cluster  of 


GENESIS  XLVIII.   i:,,  IG.  3G1 

grapes.  This  is  the  first  blessing  by  laying  on  of  hands 
recorded  in  Holy  Scripture.  By  means  of  laying  on  his  hands, 
he  who  performs  this  places  himself  in  a  relation  of  mutual 
action  with  him  who  is  the  subject  of  it.  This  act  is,  according 
to  its  most  obvious  purpose,  the  vehicle  by  which  something  is 
conveyed  and  received.  AVith  hands  laid  on  crosswise,  Jacob, 
whose  wish  coincides  with  the  counsel  of  God,  now  proceeds 
in  the  power  of  faith  to  bless  Joseph  in  his  children,  vv. 
15,  16:  And  he  Messed  Joseph,  and  said  :  The  God  in  ivhose 
presence  my  fathers  Abraham  and  Isaac  walked,  the  God  who 
hatJh  tended  me  as  a  shepherd  since  my  existence  to  this  day,  the 
angel  who  redeemed  me  from  all  evil,  bless  the  lads,  and  let  my  name 
and  the  name  of  my  fathers  Abraham  and  Isaac  be  named 
through  them,  and  let  them  increase  in  midtitude  in  the  midst  of 
the  land.  The  picture  of  God  as  a  shepherd  is  suggested  to 
Jacob  by  his  own  pastoral  vocation  ;  we  meet  with  it  again  in 
the  psalms  of  David,  and  especially  of  Asaph.  The  expres- 
sion '"iTn  Di'n-ny  niyo  recurs  in  the  section  on  Balaam,  Num. 
xxii.  30.  0113  16a  would  not  be  meant  differently  from 
xxi.  12,  hence  in  the  sense  of  a  secondary  cause  (comp.  ix.  6«). 
Ephraim  and  Manasseh,  by  becoming  independent  tribes,  pro- 
pagate the  names  of  their  three  ancestors,  with  the  promises 
attached  to  these  names.  Targ.  II.  takes  the  two  □"'n^sn  voca- 
tively  and :  "  the  angel  .  .  .  bless  .  .  . "  as  the  supplication, 
but  certainly  'H?.^''.  is  the  common  predicate  of  the  complex 
notion  which  forms  the  subject.  The  subject,  whose  blessing 
is  desired,  is  a  threefold  one ;  but  as  results  from  the  omis- 
sion of  the  conjunctive  i,  which  was  to  be  expected  at 
least  in  the  third  place  with  '^'Jr'^C,  and  from  the  singular  pre- 
dicate (to  which  Novatian,  de  trinit.  ch.  xv.,  already  draws 
attention),  a  single  one  ;  the  "H^^^  also  is  thought  of  as  Dcus  de 
Deo:  it  is  God  revealing  Himself  in  the  appearance  of  an  angel, 
God  the  liedeemer  who  at  last,  as  God  in  Christ,  fulfils  media- 
torially  the  counsel  of  redemption.  When  however  Jacob  in 
the  act  of  blessing  lays  his   right  hand  on  Ephraim's  head, 


362  GENESIS  XLVIII.  17-22. 

this  appears  to  Joseph  an  unconscious  mistake,  vv.  17-19: 
And  when  Joseph  saw  that  his  father  laid  his  i^ight  hand  on  the 
head  of  Ephraim,  it  was  displeasing  in  his  eyes,  and  he  laid 
hold  of  his  father  s  hand  to  remove  it  from  the  head  of  Ephraim 
to  the  head  of  Manassch.  And  Joseph  said  to  his  father  :  Not 
so,  my  father,  for  this  is  the  first-horn,  la.y  thy  rigid  hand  upon 
his  head.  But  his  father  refused,  and  said :  I  knoio,  my  son, 
I  knovj  ;  he  also  shall  hecoiiie  a  2^cop)le,  and  he  also  shall  hecomc 
great ;  hut  his  younger  brother  wUl  he  greater  than  he,  and  his 
seed  will  hceome  a  fulness  of  nations.  On  i^'^P!'  "I^  hand  of  his 
right  side,  comp.  Vs.  cxxi.  5,  and  on  "jr^n  of  grasping  and 
holding  the  hands,  Ex.  xvii.  12.  Jacob  refuses  to  change  his 
liands  ;  he  knows  well,  viz.  that  Manasseh,  not  Ephraim,  is  the 
first-born,  but  the  latter  will  be  more  powerful  tban  he.  This 
was  not  fulfilled  in  the  immediate  future,  for  at  the  numbering, 
Num.  XX vi.  34,  Manasseh  was  20,000  above  Ephraim.  Subse- 
quently however,  together  with  the  retention  of  the  name  bi^-\\ir', 
Ephraim  gave  his  name  to  the  whole  kingdom,  and  was  from 
the  time  of  the  Judges  the  greatest  of  the  tribes  in  power  and 
extent.  In  D^ian  fc<po  the  determinate  adheres  to  the  second 
member  of  the  st.  constr.  (as  at  xvi.  7,  see  on  this  matter 
remarks  on  ix.  20),  and  D'^U  refers,  as  at  xxxv.  11  (comp.  D''oy 
xxviii.  3,  xlviii.  4),  to  tlie  tribes  of  Israel ;  D^ia  jinn  xvii.  5 
has  a  wider  meaning,  and  indeed  that  of  to  TrXrjpcofia  tmv 
eOvoiv,  Eom.  xi.  25.  The  blessing  continued,  ver.  20  :  And 
he  hlessed  them  that  day,  saying:  With  thee  shall  Israel  hlcss, 
saying:  Elohimmake  thee  as  Ephraim  and  as  Manasseh — he  set 
Ephraim  hefore  Manasseh.  The  speech  is  addressed  to  Joseph, 
who  is  thus  abundantly  blessed  in  Ephraim  and  Manasseh. 
The  blessedness  of  both  became  proverbial  (comp.  on  xii.  3,  and 
the  cursing  formula,  Jer.  xxix.  21  sq.).  The  last  word  of  bless- 
ing to  Joseph,  vv.  21,  22  :  And  Israel  said  to  Joseph,  Behold, 
I  die,  hut  Elohim  will  he  with  you  and  hring  you  hack  to  the 
land  of  your  fathers.  And  I  have  given  to  thee  one  tract  of  land 
above  thy  hrethren,  ivhich  I  took  from  the  Emorite  icith  my  sword 


GENESIS  XLVIII.  21,  21.  363 

and  my  how.  By  03^'  ridge  of  land,  is  at  all  events  meant 
a  part  of  the  Canaanite  mountainous  district ;  "inx  is  the  more 
quickly  uttered  form  of  word,  which  in  closely  connected  speech 
occurs  also  elsewhere,  and  very  frequently  in  this  numeral,  e.g. 
2  Sam.  xvii.  22,  without  a  relation  of  annexation  (see  Philippi 
on  the  Status  construdus,  p.  59).  On  the  use  of  bv  in  ^'''^^'''y 
"  beyond  thy  brethren,"  see  on  Ps.  xvi.  2.  '''P^^'}  here  as  at 
XV.  16  is  the  favourite  general  name  in  /for  the  population 
of  Canaan  (comp.  Ezek.  xvi.  3).  But — and  this  is  the  main 
question  requiring  an  answer — what  is  meant  by  Tinp^  ?  Jacob 
— says  Tuch — looking  prophetically  forward  over  four  centuries 
and  beholding  as  present  the  state  of  things  after  the  conquest 
of  tlie  Promised  Land,  rightly  says,  as  the  representative  of 
his  descendants,  'iJI  ''^'??_^  "i?^'^  in  the  per/,  projjh.  "  Neverthe- 
less," he  continues,  "  the  unusual  expression  D3C  is  chosen  for 
the  very  probable  purpose  of  playing  upon  the  name  of  the 
well-known  place  of  the  same  name  [so  Jerome :  inilcre  allusit 
ad  nometi].  For  Sicheni  was  really  situate  in  the  portion  of 
Joseph,  Josh.  xxi.  21,  and  was  specially  consecrated  to  his 
memory  by  the  fact  that  his  bones  were  buried  there,  Josh, 
xxiv.  32,  in  the  field  purchased  by  Jacob,  xxxiii.  19."  We 
could  not  in  our  retrospective  view  of  ch.  xxxiv.,  and  especially 
xxxiv.  25  sq.,  comp.  xxxv.  5,  help  remarking,  that  the  ven- 
geance of  the  sons  of  Jacob  upon  Sichem  had  a  bright  side,  on 
wliich  it  was  represented  by  E,  and  to  this  xlviii.  21  sq.  also 
refers.  Sichem  seems  indeed  to  have  prematurely  become  a 
town  with  a  predominantly  Israelite  population,  an  "  ancient 
tribal  possession."  ^  But  in  the  intention  of  this  composition 
of  extracts  from  sources,  as  it  has  come  down  to  us,  and 
in  which  xlviii.  2  2  and  xlix.  5-7  are  in  all  but  direct 
contact,  Tinp^  cannot  be  so  understood  as  to  make  Jacob 
appropriate  to  himself  on  its  brighter  side  the  deed  of  arms 
of  his  sons.  MrpS  must  be  conceived  of — as  by  Tuch — as 
spoken  in  the  power  of  a  prophetic  self-consciousness  raised 

^  See  A.  Eckstein,  Ge^ch.  u.  Bed.  der  Stadt  Sichem  (1886),  p.  18  sq. 


/ 


364  GENESIS  XLIX.  1,  2. 

above  itself.  Kueneu's  former  conjecture  "ainn  ab  (not  with 
my  sword,  but  by  means  of  honourable  purchase)  is  very 
tempting,  as  it  removes  all  difficulty. 


JACOB  S  PEOPHETIC  SAYINGS  CONCERNING  HIS  TWELVE  SONS, 
CH.  XLIX. 

The  third  portion,  ch.  xlix.,  carries  on  the  history  of  Jacob's 
last  days  and  records  his  last  words.  These  have  been  called, 
and  not  incorrectly,  the  blessing  of  Jacob,  for  xlix.  28  refers 
back  to  them.  They  are  however  introduced  at  ver.  1  as  a 
prophecy,  and  are  indeed  both :  words  of  prophecy  as  dis- 
closures made  by  God  concerning  the  future  history  of 
redemption ;  words  of  blessing  as  wishes  strong  through  faith, 
and  bringing  within  themselves  the  energy  for  their  accom- 
plishment. In  lofty  words,  which  already  indicate  his  solemn 
frame  of  mind,  the  patriarch  summons  all  his  sons  (Joseph 
included),  vv.  1,  2:  And  Jacob  called  his  sons  and  said: 
Assemble  yourselves,  that  I  may  announce  to  you  what  loill 
befall  you  at  the  end  of  the  days.  Come  together  and  hear,  ye 
sons  of  Jacob,  and  hearken  to  Israel  your  father,  mp  (to 
befall),  xxiv.  12,  xxvii.  20,  xlii.  29,  xliv.  29,  is  also  exchanged 
for  Nip  at  xlii.  4,  38.  From  the  standpoint  of  the  present, 
the  future  may  be  regarded  either  as  that  which  lies  before 
us,  which  is  coming  (nvn^n  Isa.  xli.  23,  xliv.  7,  2"'N3n  Isa. 
xxvii.  6),  or  also  as  that  which  lies  after  us  (Greek  ra  ottlo-co), 
whose  development  is  still  kept  back,  and  will  come  after  the 
present  course  of  time,  will  succeed  it  (Orelli,  Uebr.  Synonyma 
der  Zeit  u.  Ewigkeit,  p.  14),  hence  as  n"'"irix  (Assyr.  adverbially 
ahrdtas  the  future),  which  as  the  opposite  of  the  beginning  of 
time  means  the  end  of  time  (the  last  time),  or  as  the  opposite 
of  the  present,  the  time  following  (the  time  to  come).  It  has 
this  latter  meaning,  e.g.,  at  Jer.  xxiii.  20  and  also  Deut.  xxxi. 
29,  though  it  there  already  designates  not  the  time  to  come 
in  general,  but  in  an  eschatological  sense,  like  iv   va-repoa 


GENESIS  XLIX.  1,  2.  365 

Kaipok,  1  Tim.  iv.  1.     Mostly  however  D"'p»n  nnnx  denotes  the 
final  futnre,  the  extreme  end,  but  this  not  merely  as  the  last 
epoch   at  the  end  of  the   course  of  time,  but  as  that  final 
period,  lying  entirely  beyond  the  present  course  of  develop- 
ment, which  will  bring  the  work  of  God  to  its   full  and  final 
realization.      In   such   wise    also,  that   the    notion   varies   in 
proportion  to  the  stage  of  development,  to  which  the  work  of 
God  has  advanced  in  the  present,  and  to  the   horizon  of  the 
present  thereby  given,  and  the  range  of  vision  thereby  deter- 
mined.    For  in  the  prophetic  prospect,  the  final  redemption  is 
ever  combined  with   the   promised   event   of   the   immediate 
future ;  both  advance  in  close  union  even  when  they  do  not 
perceptibly  coincide,  and  the  progress  of  the  expected  redemp- 
tion is  such,  that  it  is  by  this  immediate  future,  when   it  is 
realized  and  shows  itself  to  be  only  a  portion  of  that  work  of 
God  which  is  in  a  process  of  development,  that  the  fulfilment 
of  the  glorious  and  most  glorious,  which  is  yet  in  arrear,  is 
pledged,  and   a   deeper  understanding    of   it    brought   about. 
Thus  the  view  of  Jacob,  who  is  borne  by  the  spirit  of  prophecy 
beyond  the    sojourn  in    Egypt,  is   fixed    upon  the  promised 
possession  of  Canaan  by  the  nation  of  the  twelve  tribes.      To 
him  this  stands  in  the  foreground  of  the  D^D\n  nnns  ;  it  is  the 
watchword  of  his  hopes ;  all  that  follows  stands  on  a  line  with 
this  one  fundamental  hope,  as  in   a  picture  painted  without 
perspective.      It  is  just  in  this  circumstance  that  we  have  a 
strong  proof  that  no  mere  recent  fiction  is  before  us.      At  a 
period  which   evidently  and   palpably   was   not    as   yet    tlie 
promised   end   of    the    days,   no    one    would  have    put    into 
Jacob's  mouth  a  prophecy  concerning  it  as  the  end  of  the 
days ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  he   could  not,  according  to 
the  tenor  of  the   promises  made  to  the  patriarchs,  but  con- 
centrate all  his  expectation   of  redemption   in    the  promised 
possession  of  the  land.     By  the  criticism,  indeed,  which  either 
denies  miracles,  whether  in  the  spiritual  life  or  in   history,  or 
as  much  as  possible  attributes  thera  to  natural  causes,  these 


360  GENESIS  XLIX.  1,  2. 

prophetic  sayings  will  be  a  'priori  regarded  as  a  vaticinia  post 
eventum,  or  as  Hupfeld  expresses  it,  as  a  prophetic  myth. 
Ewald  insists  upon  the  "truth  which  since  1828  he  has 
publicly  taught,  and  which  will  always  force  itself  upon  every 
better  mind,  that  these  sayings  belong  to  the  time  of  Samson  " 
(Jahrh.  5.  238).  Anger  and  Dillm.  also  make  the  time  of 
the  Judges  their  horizon.  But  we  may  with  good  reason 
regard  the  parallels  in  the  Song  of  Deborah  (Judg.  ch.  v.) 
as  well  considered  and  effective  references,  while  borrowings 
of  this  kind  would  make  the  author  of  Gen.  xlix.  3-27 
show  a  poverty  of  thought  which  he  by  no  means  manifests. 
Hupfeld  and  others  still  now  deeply  depreciate  ch.  xlix.  And 
Kuenen  (Finl.  §  13,  note  16)  agrees  with  Eenan  and  Land  in 
regarding  these  as  sayings  of  different  periods  here  worked 
up  into  a  whole.  If  everything  is  regarded  as  prediction 
invented  from  after  events,  it  must  be  indeed  looked  upon 
as  such  patchwork.  We  too  might  deal  with  such  criteria, 
but  are  kept  from  so  doing  by  our  inmost  convictions. 
Neither  in  the  Old  Testament  nor  the  New,  is  the  non- 
reality  of  historical  or  spiritual  miracles  the  necessary  con- 
sequence of  critical  analysis.  But  if  prophecy  is  no  delusion, 
testamentary  words  of  a  prophetic  character  might  be  expected 
from  the  departing  ancestor  of  the  chosen  people ;  and  if  his 
discourse  to  his  sons  consisted  of  single  sayings  applying  to 
individuals,  it  is  quite  comprehensible  that  these  sayings,  and 
consequently  the  blessing  which  was  composed  of  them,  should 
have  remained  in  the  memory  and  on  the  lips  of  the  twelve 
tribes.  And  when  and  for  what  purpose  should  this  blessing 
have  been  invented  ?  The  saying  concerning  Eeuben  affixes  on 
him  a  blot,  for  the  preservation  of  which  subsequent  history 
furnished  no  reason.  The  saying  concerning  Simeon  and 
Levi  is  depreciative  and  reproving  in  a  manner  only  con- 
ceivable from  the  pre-Mosaic  standpoint.  The  saying  con- 
cerning Zebulun  contemplates  an  extent  of  the  territory  of 
his  tribe,  which  was  not  realized  either  in  the  time  of  Joshua 


GENESIS  XLIX.  3.  3G7 

or  uuder  the  Kings.  And  the  saying  concerning  Issachar 
gives  a  picture  of  this  tribe  differing  from  the  Song  of  Deborah, 
Judg.  V.  15a.  So  too  can  ver.  23  also  be  understood  without 
being  a  reflection  of  Syrian  warfare. 

The  patriarch  knew  his  chihlren,  knew  the  circumstances 
of  their  birth,  knew  the  dispositions  they  had  manifested, 
and  was  therefore  naturally  capable,  so  to  speak,  of  casting 
their  nativity.^  And  his  blessing  bears  throughout  the 
mark  of  the  date  claimed  for  it,  and  of  that  spontaneity, 
both  human  and  Divine,  which  distinguishes  the  pro- 
phecy of  the  redemptive  history  from  heathen  Manticism. 
For  all  such  prophecy  is  of  an  ethic  nature,  and  for  that 
reason  no  deluding  spell ;  the  history  is  the  product  of  the 
interaction  of  God  and  man,  and  hence  something  different 
sometimes  comes  forth  from  what  prophecy  had  predicted  by 
promise  and  threat. 

It  cannot  be  determined  from  which  of  the  three  main 
sources  of  the  Pentateuch  the  redactor  has  taken  this 
prophetic  portion.  In  itself,  and  especially  by  reason  of  mn^ 
ver.  18,  it  suggests  our  regarding  J  as  the  source;  but  the 
framework,  vv.  1  and  28,  leads  to  Q,  who  is  not  absolutely 
excluded  either  by  mn''  ver.  18  nor  by  ver.  28&  (see  there). 

The  first  saying,  xlix.  3  sq.,  passes  sentence  upon  Eeuben 
and  determines  his  future.  In  every  genealogical  table  of 
the  twelve,  from  xxxv.  23  to  1  Chron.  v.  1,  Eeuben  stands 
first,  as  the  first-born  among  the  sons  of  Jacob  ;  hence,  looking 
back  with  joy  and  sorrow  to  his  Aramaean  servitude,  he  greets 
him:  'pi5<  ^^'^'^1}._  '^^  '"^^'"^  '^^?  l?''^"!'  liaihcn,  my  first-horn,  thou, 
my  might  and  the  first-fruits  of  my  strength.  He  is  the 
product  of  Jacob's  full  manly  strength,  and  the  first  offspring 

^  Such  is  the  assumption,  correct  in  itself,  upon  which  Heinr.  Hosier,  in  his 
work.  Die  jiidische  StmnrnverscJiiedenheit,  1884,  defends  the  authenticity  of 
Jacob's  blessing,  with  much  profound  insight,  which  is  however  ovei'grown  with 
oddities.  So  too  does  Diestel,  Der  Scjen  Jakobs,  1853,  who  thinks  that  the 
sayings  are  connected  with  the  position  and  conduct  of  the  twelve  during  the 
sojourn  in  Egypt. 


368  GENESIS  XLIX.  4. 

of  his  generative  power  after  a  long  and  unspotted  celibacy 
(jix  JT'C'Xi,  as  in  legislative  prose,  Deut.  xxi.  17,  comp.  Ps. 
Ixxviii.  51,  cv.  36).  And  how  Reuben  towers  as  the  first- 
born above  his  brethren  !  He  is  TS?  ^n'''l  Dxb'  "in"',  |;re-cmmc7tce 
(properly  superabundance)  m  dignity  and  pre-eminence  in 
povjer  (TV,  not  an  adjective,  but,  as  the  order  and  parallelism 
show,  the  pausal  form  of  r"y,  comp.  xliii,  14),  i.e.  precedence, 
both  in  respect  and  power,  is  due  to  him  above  his  brethren, 
a  position  excelling  theirs  in  both  respects.  But  Reuben  has 
deprived  himself  of  his  privilege :  "iriin~?x  D)B3  thb^  Boiling 
over  like  ivater,  tliou  must  have  no  pre-eminence,  i.e.  not  as 
boiling  over,  or  because  thou  art  such.  The  words  n'*03  rns 
are  a  descriptive  and,  at  the  same  time,  a  confirmative  apposi- 
tion of  the  subj.,  which  is  more  probable  than  taking  it 
vocatively  (Oh,  boiling  over  like  water !)  or  making  it  form  a 
noun  sentence  by  itself  (viz.  a  boiling  over  of  water  is  come 
to  pass).  The  Hebraeo  -  Sam.  obliterates  the  plasticism  of 
poetic  diction  by  changing  thq  into  nrns,  whence  most 
ancient  translators,  except  Symm.,  render  it  according  to 
the  reading  v7r€p^ea-a<;,  and  Graec.  Ven.  kov^o<;  o)?  vdi(op. 
The  moral  nature  of  Reuben  is  notified  in  a  rapid  picture,  his 
characteristic  is  passion,  like  bubbling  up,  boiling  water  (rns, 
not  siibsilire,  of  which  also  Targ.  Jer.  Deut.  xxxii.  15   is  no 

confirmation,  but  hullire,  fervcre,  not  related  to  td,  ••  to  spring 
up,  but,  on  the  contrary,  a  shade  of  the  V  ns  to  breathe,  to  blow, 
comp.  T^J  J^-*  ^°  swell,  of  the  inflation  of  pride).  The 
Samar.  translates,  in  accordance  with  the  orifjinal  meauinfr, 
^J'j'?"!''?  (from  J^rn^nnn),  also  Symm.,  whose  V7rep^eaa<;  is  a 
participle  giving  the  reason  (which  Field  exchanges  for  the 
less  apt  virepe^eaa'i),  the  LXX  more  freely  :  i^v^pia-a<;,  in  the 
sense  of  Ezek.  xlvii.  5  i^v/Spi^ev  to  uScop  =  D''»n  ISJ.  Because 
he  indulges  his  sensuality,  he  incurs  the  loss  of  precedence, 
and  the  reason  is  now  more  particularly  stated :  For  thou 
didst  go  up  to  the  bed  of  thy  father,  then  didst  thou  defile,  i.e. 


GENESIS  XLIX.  3.  369 

didst  perpetrate  a  deed,  defiling  tliat  which  should  have  been 
sacred  to  thee — the  verb  J^Pi"?  is  left  without  an  object,  this  OV^^*', 
for  which,  according  to  1  Chron.  v.  1,  the  Chronicler  read  7^^"!, 
])lur.  like  ''??V"P  Cles.  §  108.  2,  note  2)  bemg  made  the  object 
of  an  independent  sentence  (comp,  a  like  case  with  the  subj. 
Ps.  Ixxii.  176).  Deeply  annoyed,  Jacob  turns  from  this 
criminal  encroachment  of  Ileuben  upon  the  rights  of  his 
father  and  chief,  xxxv.  22,  as  from  an  intolerable  sight,  and 
speaking  to  himself  says  only,  with  hollow  voice,  npi?  ^j;?,^"; :  he 
went  up  to  my  bed  !  The  first  blessing  is  thus  limited  to 
lieuben's  not  being  expelled  from  the  number  of  the  twelve^ 
l»ut  in  other  respects  it  is  clianged  into  the  curse  of  degradation. 
According  to  Deut.  xxi.  17  (the  passage  in  which  ijs  n""J'X"i 
occurs),  a  double  portion  of  the  inheritance  was  the  due  to  tlie 
lirst-born,  and  he  was  naturally  the  representative  of  the  family 
and  had  precedence  among  his  brethren.  The  deep  and  important 
results  obtained  by  the  birthright,  are  shown  in  the  history  of 
Esau  and  Jacob.  Reuben  thus  loses  not  merely  the  property, 
but  the  rank  of  the  first-born — he  loses  that  position  in  the 
national  and  redemptive  history  which  properly  belonged  to 
him.  We  are  told  1  Cliron.  v.  1  sq.,  to  whom  Picuben's 
])rivileges  were  transferred  :  Joseph  received  the  n"ib3,  i.e.  the 
double  portion  of  the  inheritance,  but  the  princely  position 
went  to  Judali.  Jerome,  together  with  the  Targums  and 
]\Iidrash,  reckons  not  only  rcgnum  and  liccreditas,  but  also 
saccrdolimn,  among  the  privileges  of  the  first-born,  and  hence 
translates  (being  herein  Luther's  predecessor)  :  prior  in  donis 
major  in  imperio.  But  1  Chron.  v,  1  sq.  shows  that  only 
regnum  and  haereditas  are  here  under  consideration.  It  was  by 
the  providential  leading  of  God,  whose  plan  hovers  over  all 
free  human  action,  that  the  double  inheritance  was  transferred 
from  the  first-born  of  Leah  to  tlie  first-born  of  Eachel.  I'.ut 
that  what  was  here  brought  to  pass  by  God's  righteous  govern- 
ment, may  not  be  imitated  by  human  caprice,  the  Thorah,  Deut. 
xxi.  15-17,  forbids  the  preference  of  the  first-born  son  of  the 

VOL.  II.  2  A 


370  GENESIS  XLIX.  5. 

beloved  wife  before  that  of  the  liated  one.  The  blessing  of 
Moses,  Dent,  xxxiii.  6,  takes  up  the  words  of  Jacob  concern- 
ing Eeuben  so  far  as  to  promise  him  indeed  continuance,  but 
(since  there  is  no  necessity  for  making  '''7"'1  =  '''?''.~''^1  with  Ges. 
Baunig.  Graf  and  others)  fewness  of  numbers  and  general 
insignificance.  This  history  fulfilled.  That  Reuben  had  at 
the  second  numbering,  ISTum.  xxvi.  7,  wlien  compared  with  tlie 
first.  Num.  i.  21,  suffered  the  loss  of  3000  men,  cannot,  in 
view  of  the  still  more  considerable  losses  of  other  tribes, 
come  into  consideration ;  but  the  fact,  that  in  the  time  of  the 
Kings  from  David  onward  only  a  Moabito-Ammonite  and  no 
longer  a  Eeubenite  region  east  of  Jordan  is  spoken  of,  cer- 
tainly does.  The  tribe  of  lleuben  had  not  wholly  died  out, 
1  Chron.  v.  6,  but  liad  become  quite  powerless,  and  had 
already  so  entirely  vanished  from  the  sight  of  Isaiah,  that  his 
elegiac  lamentation,  ch.  xv.  sq.,  has  only  Moab  as  such  for  its 
subject,  without  any  regard  to  his  lieubenite  fellow-country- 
men. History  knows  nothing  of  the  deeds  of  this  tribe 
beyond  the  victories  of  the  Eeubenites  and  Gadites  over 
Sihon  king  of  the  Amorites,  and  a  victorious  campaign 
against  the  Hagarens  in  the  time  of  King  Saul,  1  Chron.  v. 
8-10,  18-22.  In  post-Mosaic  times  its  national  importance 
soon  sank  to  nothing,  no  judge,  king,  or  prophet  being  desig- 
nated as  a  Iieubenite. 

Now  follow  the  second  and  third  sons  of  Leah,  ver.  5  : 
^T"^  "'!•''!  HJ'P^  Simeon  and  Levi  are  brothers.  Brothers  in  the 
fullest  sense  of  the  word,  not  merely  of  the  same  parents,  but 
of  the  same  nature,  as  was  shown  by  the  treacherous  and 
cruel  vengeance  which  in  common  they  inflicted  on  the 
Shechemites :  cn'^nhao  Dpn  '•73  instruments  of  violence  are  their 
simighter  vjcajjons.  The  Hebraeo-Sam.  and  perhaps  Onkelos 
also  read  ^?3  for  ''b^  :  their  slaughter  weapons  have  executed 
violence.  It  was  DDn,  i.e.  a  deed  of  violence  by  the  stronger 
against  the  weaker  and  unarmed ;  for,  that  they  might  be 
able  to  take   vengeance  upon   them,  they  first  rendered  the 


GENESIS  XLIX.  5.  371 

Sliechemites  incapable  of  defending  themselves.  The  meaning 
murderous  weapons  is  in  any  case  the  most  obvious  for 
DnTiiDD ;  the  Midrash  {Bercshith  rahba,  c.  99  and  elsewhere) 
remarks,  that  in  Greek  nmn  swords,  are  called  pT3D,  i.e. 
fjbci^aipai  (Goth,  mclja,  from  the  \/  jj-uk  to  pierce,  Lat.  mac-tare), 
with  which  Donaldson  also  {Jasluir,  pp.  128,  19G)  regards  it 
as  one  and  the  same  word  "  changed  by  Greek  mercenaries 
of  David  (1  Chron.  xi.  3G,  Kavpo^  6  fia-^aipoi^opos)"  into 
Hebrew.  But  "^I^P  is  no  more  fid^aipa  than  the  Assyr. 
pilakkua  is  the  Greek  ireXeKVi  ;  it  comes  from  i"]3  (after  the 
formations  -^I^P,  JTipp,  'T[i?P),  which  means  to  dig  (for  which 

usually  n"]3)  and  to  round  (comp.  133  ="13")^,  Arab.    <  properly 

of  the  ricochetting  ball   l  ^),  both  meanings  being  combined  in 

that  of  a  round  digging  or  boring  out,  so  that  it  might  also 
be  used  of  the  weapon  which  bores  a  round  gaping  wound, 
like  ii?J  and  ii^3  Ps.  xxii.  17,  comp.  thereon,]),  233  of  the 
Comm.,  according  to  the  LXX,  Pesh. ;  the  verbs  opvaaeiv  and 
fodcrc  (Jiastd) — stimulo  fodcre  hovem  is  even  said — also  admit 
the  sense  of  piercing.  Tuch,  Baumg.  explain  otherwise : 
twistings,  from  iis^  which  however  means  to  round  and  not  to 
twist ;  de  Dieu,  Schultens,  Maurer :  intrigues,  from  "i3p  :=  Cc, 
without  any  support  in  Hebrew  diction  ;  Kn.  Luzzatto,  Merx 
and  others :  marriage  contracts,  after  the  Syr.  •«-^^o  dc^j^onsare 
(with  reference  to  xxxiv.  15  sq.)  ;  but  then  v3  is  not  suitable. 
Schrijter  gives  another  meaning  {DMZ.  xxiv.  525)  :  their  signs 
of  recognition,  from  -i33  (so  that  the  punctuation  would  have  to 
be  DH^nnsn).  It  would  be  better  to  explain  with  Targ.  11.  III. 
Syr.:  their  nature  indoles,  but  Ezek.  xvi.  3  (comp.  also  Isa.  li.  1) 
is  not  sufficient  to  prove  this  meaning  for  the  word,  and  Don  'h'2 
shows  itself  to  be  the  predicate,  not  the  subj.  The  meaning 
instrument  of  piercing  is  the  most  certain.  Dillm.  denies 
to  the  verb  tiD  the  meaning  to  pierce,  and  would  rather 
understand  a  curved  instrument,  from  mn  to  be  round,  hence 
something  of  a  sabre.      Perhaps  the  Assyrian,  in  which  iia  in 


372  GENESIS  XLIX.  fi. 

the  meaning  to  cut,  to  hew,  to  fell,  is  a  syn.  (Friedr.  Delitzsch, 
Proleg.  121),  gives  the  decisive  casting  vote.  Jacob,  who 
had  already,  xxxiv.  30,  made  Litter  complaints  of  the  deed  of 
Simeon  and  Levi,  here  on  his  death-bed  repudiates  all  share  in  it, 
ver.  6a;  Into  their  council,  my  soul,  come  thou  not ;  with  their 
assembly,  my  honour,  he  thou  not  united.  On  ^iD,  see  on  Ps. 
XXV.  14  :  it  means  compression,  constipatio,  in  the  sense  of  con- 
centrated closeness,  impervious  to  light,  and  consequently  both 
the  secret  meeting  and  the  secret  matter.  in^  is  imp/.  Kal  of 
in^,  and  ""1^3  here  as  at  Ps.  vii.  6,  xvi.  9,  xxx.  13,  Ivii.  9, 
cviii.  2,  used  of  the  soul  as  the  glory  of  man,  the  Divine 
image,  is  as  the  name  of  the  ^o\\\  feminine,  as  is  also  e.g.  |is^ 
as  the  name  of  the  wind,  and  ^.p?  as  that  of  a  fetter.  On 
the  misconception  or  intentional  setting  aside  of  nun,  the 
name  of  the  soul,  by  ancient  translators,  see  Geiger,  Urschrift, 
p.  319.  lieason  for  this  repudiation,  ver.  Q>h :  For  in  their 
wrath  they  slcio  men,  and  in  their  sclf-vnll  they  maimed  oxen. 
Unrestrained  self-will,  which  disregards  truth  and  justice,  is 
here,  as  at  Dan.  viii.  4  and  frequently,  called  P^T  On  the 
exegetical  and  historical  connection  of  the  translation  svffo- 
derunt  murum.  (y,^)  in  Jerome,  see  Piirst  in  DMZ.  xxxv. 
p.  132  sq.  The  LXX,  as  it  already  lay  before  the  Itala,  has 
dire/cretvav  dvOpcoTTovi  and  ivevpoKoir-qcrav  ravpov,  hence  "lit'', 
not  T,C'  (as  Onk.  Aq.  Symm. :  Tel^o'?).  According  to  Herder 
and  others,  '\Su  is  said  here  to  mean  figuratively  (as  at  Deut. 
xxxiii.  1 7)  the  same  as  C^'N  :  they  slew  the  princes  of  Shecheni 
together  with  the  people  like  defenceless  animals,  whose 
sinews  had  been  cut,  and  Peuss  thinks  it  possible  that  ~\\^  is 
an  imnge  of  the  male  population  maimed  by  circumcision. 
Since  however,  according  to  xxxiv.  27-29,  they  took  pos- 
session of  the  flocks  and  herds,  and  cared  more  for  vengeance 
than  for  booty,  "lit^*  ^'^\^V  is  meant  in  its  literal  sense :  they  cut 
the  knee  tendons  (LXX  eveupoKoinjaav)  of  the  oxen,  whom 
they  either  could  not  or  would  not  bring  away,  for  the  purpose 
of  laming  them  and  making  them  useless,  which  is  also  called 


GENESIS  XLIX.  7.  373 

in  Arab.  Is..  This  treacherous  and  cruel  act  of  vengeance 
though  indicted  on  Canaanites,  is  pronounced  by  Jacob  to  be 
a  sin  worthy  of  condemnation,  ver.  7  :  Cu,rsed  is  ilieir  anger, 
which  was  so  fierce,  and  their  vsrath,  which  was  so  cruel.  1 
icill  divide  them  in  Jacob,  and  scatter  them  in  Israel.  The 
predicates  TV  and  ni^'j?  (unbending  and  inexorable)  are  also  inter- 
changed, Cant.  viii.  C.  The  Hebraeo-Sam.  (which  the  other 
Samaritan  texts  follow)  has  here  changed  ins  into  inx 
(="11111  praiseworthy)  and  Dmay  into  nm3n  (their  association) 
to  get  rid  of  the  curse  {DMZ.  xx.  lGO-162);  the  prayer  of 
Judith  also  in  ch.  ix.  (see  thereon  Fritzsche)  begins  by 
praising  the  righteous  retribution  executed  by  her  ancestor 
Simeon  (with  Levi).  The  patriarch  solemnly  repudiates  all 
share  in  this  massacre.  The  punishment  of  Simeon  and 
Levi  is  division  and  dispersion.  Their  fierce  resentment  is 
deprived  of  the  support  of  an  independent  territory,  and  their 
despotic  violence  of  a  prerequisite  of  political  power.  The 
cities  of  Simeon  lay  as  a  powerless  and  almost  nameless 
enclosure  within  the  territory  of  the  tribe  of  Judah  (Josh. 
xix.  1-9,  ch.  XV.),  and  when  the  descendants  of  Simeon  found 
their  dwelling-places  no  longer  sufficient,  they  emigrated  in 
two  companies  and  conquered  dwelling-places  and  pasture 
lands  outside  the  Holy  Land  (I  Chron.  iv.  38  sqq.).  Simeon 
is  left  quite  unmentioned  in  the  blessing  of  Moses,  Deut. 
xxxiii.,  and  disappears  almost  entirely  after  the  disruption 
of  the  kingdom.^  Levi  received  no  territory  of  his  own,  the 
Levites  being  scattered  among  all  the  tribes,  within  which  the 
law.  Num.  xxxv.  1-8,  allotted  to  them  forty-eight  cities.  Sub- 
sequently this  scattering  became  a  means  of  the  clerical  voca- 
tion of  the  tribe  of  Levi,  here  it  appears  as  the  punishment  of 
a  brutal  fanaticism.  Tliis  penal  sentence  on  the  two  brothers 
is  a  proof  of  the  great  antiquity  of  the  blessing.     The  blessing 

1  The   Midraslx    X'^'in    says  :    bn*l^'a  DSV^:'  X^l  l^D  vh  n^rOVH  N^  pyJSti' 
ni3^1  py,   with   reference  to  Num.  xxv.   14  ;  see  Epsteiu,  Bdlriiije  zur  jiid. 

AUerthumskunde  (1887),  p.  24. 


o  /  4  GENESIS  XLIX.  8. 

of  Moses,  Deut.  xxxiii.,  is  silent  concerning  Simeon,  and  speaks 
quite  otherwise  of  Levi.  The  difference  between  the  two 
periods  at  once  strikes  the  eye. 

No  blessing  without  a  shadow  has  attached  to  tlie  first 
three  sons  ;  an  unobscured  blessing  now  comes  with  so  much 
tlie  greater  intensity  upon  Judah,  the  fourth  son  of  Leah. 
The  Samar.  Targum  tries  as  much  as  possible  to  turn  the 
blessing  of  Judah  into  an  insult  {DMZ.  xxx.  348).  It  is 
indeed  true  that  Judah 's  previous  life  had  not  been  unspotted  ; 
he  sinned  against  Joseph,  he  sinned  with  Tamar,  but  these 
sins  are  now  expiated,  and  they  bore  within  them  reasons  in 
mitigation  of  their  guilt.  For  it  was^^Judah  who  wanted  to 
sell  Joseph  rather  than  to  shedjiis Jilood  ;  it  was  he  whose 
nobleness  of  mind  towards  his  father  and  brethren  made  him 
so  irresistibly  eloquent  before  Joseph  ;  and  though  not  in- 
accessible to  sensual  teinptation,  he  was,  as  the  transaction 
with  Tamar  shows,  of  an  heroic  character  ennobled  by  the 
fear  of  God.  To  him  is  transferred  the  princely  dignity  of 
the  first-born,  which  Eeuben  liad  forfeited  (1  Chron.  v.  2). 
His  name,  according  to  xxiv.  35,  signifies  the  being  praised  ; 
this  nomen  Jacob  takes  hold  of  as  an  omen  and  explains  it  as 
a  prognostic  of  Judah's  future,  ver.  8  :  Judah — thcc  shall  tliy 
'brethren  praise  :  thy  hand  upon  the  neck  of  thine  enemies  !  thy 
father  s  sons  hoio  down  'before  thcc.  The  p)crs.  pro.  stands  first 
as  nom.  ahs.,  as  e.g.  at  Deut.  xviii.  14?^,  comp.  ""^iX  xxiv.  2  7 
(Ges.  §  145.  2).  Judah  will  be  the  ever  victorious;  his 
enemies  flee,  but  they  do  not  escape  him,  he  grasps  them  by 
the  throat  (Job  xvi.  12).  His  heroism  procures  him  the 
homage  and  respect  of  his  brethren,  and  that  not  only  of  his 
five  bretln-en  by  the  same  mother  (see  on  xxvii.  29),  but  of 
all  the  sons  of  their  common  father.  Judah  obtains  this 
exaltation  above  his  brethren  by  the  lion-like  nature  wliich 
God  bestows  upon  him :  'P^y^TV  r]^';^^  n^a  a  lions  whelp  is  Jad.ah. 
Jacob  has  now  before  him  the  person  of  Judah,  the  ancestor 
of  the  lion  tribe,  hence  he  compares   him   to   a  young  lion. 


GENESIS  XLIX.  9,  10.  375 

But  Lis  view  is  imniediately  transferred  to  the  tribe  iu  tlie 
lull  strength  of  its  maturity :  from  tlic  jprcy,  my  son,  hast  thou 
gone  up — he  stoops  down,  lie  couches  like  a  lion  and  like  a  lioness, 
ivho  would  rouse  him  up  ?  Jacob  in  spirit  beholds  his  son  as 
having  become  that  to  which  he  is  destined.  On  j*n"i  see  on 
iv.  7.  Scripture  is  rich  in  names  and  images  of  lions,  fur  it  was 
then  easy  to  become  by  personal  observation  acquainted  with 
the  lion,  which  has  now  almost  disappeared  from  the  lauds  of 
the  sacred  history.  As  a  lion,  which  after  he  has  obtained 
his  prey  goes  up  (p7V  in  its  first  meaning,  not  as  at  Isa.  liii.  2, 
Ezek.  xix.  3,  in  the  sense  of  growing  up)  from  the  forest 
dwelling  to  the  forest  mountain  to  his  den  (Eccles.  iv.  8,  comp. 
opealrpo^o'^,  the  epithet  given  to  the  lion  in  Homer),  so  does 
Judah  return  from  all  his  conflicts  to  his  dwelling-place;  there 
he  couches  in  proud  repose  like  a  lion  and  like  a  lioness  (who  is 
still  fiercer  in  defence  of  her  young),  who  would  venture  to  stir 
liini  up  and  to  occasion  fresh  conflicts  ?  The  historical  great- 
ness of  Judah  is  now  further  described,  the  image  of  the  lion 
being  laid  aside,  ver.  10:  The  sceptre  shall  not  depart  from 
Judah  and  the  leaders  staff  from  hetween  1  lis  feet,  until  he  comes 
to  Shiloh,  and  to  him  devolves  the  ohcdienee  of  the  peoples.  The 
LXX,  Targum  Samar.  Saad.  Gr.  Ven.  and  the  ancients  in 
general  understand  Pi?.np  personally  of  a  leader  in  peace  or 
war,  as  at  Judg.  v.  15  and  elsewhere,  and  as  ^t:T^  2  Sam.  vii.  7 
(=a-Kr)TrTovxoL)  is  perhaps  meant;  and  "lyJl  p2rp  is  accordingly 
used  as  atDeut.  xxviii.  57  of  the  coming  forth  from  the  maternal 
womb  (comp.  the  euphemisms,  Isa.  vii.  20,  xxxvi.  12,  and 
Homer's  TTLTrreiv  fiera  iroaal  yuvaiKo^;,  II.  19.  110  =to  be  born), 
hence  a  ruler  from  the  maternal  womb  of  Judah,  a  not  impos- 
sible expression,  Judah  being  conceived  of  not  as  an  individual 
but  as  a  tribe,  which  at  once  bears  and  begets.  Luther  other- 
wise :  noch  ein  mcister  vo7i  scinen  Fiisscn,  in  which  Pipno  is  (as  in 
lauvjiver  of  the  English  A.V.)  understood,  according  to  ^~)^^  of 
the  Targums,  with  reference  to  the  circumstance  that  serihce 
inter  pedes   regum   aid   magistratuum  sub   illis  scdere    solcnt. 


376  GENESIS  XLIX.  10. 

The  Mecklenburg  KirchenUatt,  1885,  p.  5:  the  territory 
upon  which  he  walks — an  impossible  rendering,  for  the 
ground  is  not  between,  but  under  the  feet.  Considering  that 
ppriD  has  no  less  frequently  the  meaning  ruler's  staff,  suggested 
by  the  parallel  t:3^  (N"um.  xxi.  18,  Ps.  Ix.  9),  than  the  personal 
meaning  ruler ;  secondly,  that  a  long  staff  held  by  the  upper 
end  is  the  insigniuui  of  the  Assyrian  kings,  and  that  the 
Persian  king  represented  in  a  sitting  posture  upon  the  monu- 
ments of  Persepolis  holds  it  between  his  feet ;  and  thirdly,  that 
the  choice  of  more  dignified  expressions  than  the  objection- 
able IvJ"]  pSQ  (especially  so  as  a  declaration  concerning  an 
ancestor)  were  furnished  by  the  language  (see  xlvi.  2G,  xxxv. 
11,  Jer.  xxxiii.  26,  Ps.  cxxxii.  11),  on  which  account  the 
Hebraeo-Samar.  writes  v^:t  pan  (from  his  banners),  it  must  be 
explained :  Judah  will  ever  bear  the  sceptre,  and  the  ruler's 
staff  ever  rest  between  his  feet.  Ever — for  that  ver.  10 
awards  the  princely  position  to  Judah,  not  merely  for  a  period 
but  for  ever,  is  already  required  by  the  character  of  the  saying 
as  purely  one  of  blessing.  It  is  not  meant  that  Judah  shall 
bear  the  sceptre  till  the  new  turn  of  things  and  then  lose  it, 
or  as  the  passage  is  already  exj)lained  by  Justin,  Apol.  i.  32,  and 
in  the  Clementine  Horn.  iii.  49,  and  is  still  explained,  e.g.  by 
P.  T,  Bassett,  Grossrau  and  others,  that  the  Messiah  will  come 
at  a  time  when  the  sceptre  has  departed  from  Judah,  i.e.  when 
the  Jewish  people  have  fallen  into  subjection  to  the  heathen, 
which,  according  to  Verbrugge  (1730),  was  definitively  ful- 
filled by  the  issue  of  the  revolution  under  Hadrian.  In  an 
Advent  festival  play  by  Hans  Sachs  (written  Dec.  8,  1730) 
it  is  by  this  saying  interpreted  in  this  sense,  that  the  Jewish 
Eabbi  is  finally  overcome  by  the  Christian  doctor.  But  ny 
in  this  blessing  cannot  possibly  be  such  an  exclusive  "  till." 
Nor,  on  the  other  hand,  is  there  any  reason  for  translating 
with  Ilitzig  {Bibl.  Thcologie,  p.  153),  G.  Baur  and  others:  "as 
long  as  he  shall  come  to  Shiloh,"  for  though  t;'  ny  (Cant.  i. 
12)  and  "ly  seq.  mfin.  (Ex.  xxxiii.  22,  Judg.  iii.  26,  Jon.  iv.  2, 


_  y 


GENESIS  XLIX.  10.  377 

comp.  2  Kings  ix.  22)  may  mean  "as  long  as,"  yet  'd  nj;  nowhere 
expresses  limited  duration,  but  the  terminus  ad  quern.  Still 
less  do  we  need,  with  an  ancient  MS.  in  Pinsker  {Zur  GcscJi. 
dcs  Karaismus,  p.  Bp),  to  draw  iy  to  what  precedes  with 
Athnach  instead  of  Jcthih  (not  ...  for  ever,  for  he  will 
come  .  .  .  ),  but  ''3""iy  with  the  im]-)/.  following  has  the  same 
temporal  sense  as  "i^^t^  ny  "  until  that "  (elsewhere  followed  by 
a  per/,  of  gradative  meaning,  xxvi.  13,  xli.  49,  2  Sam.  xxiii. 
10,  2  Chron.  xxvi.  15),  and  here  denotes  the  turning-point 
to  which  Judah's  greatness  lasts,  not  then  to  cease,  but  to  be 
enlarged  to  sovereignty  over  the  peoples,  comp.  on  this  use  of 
*iy  xxvi.  13,  xxviii.  15,  Ps.  ex.  1,  cxii.  8.  €co<i  Matt.  v.  18. 
nni?^  is  neither  equivalent  to  'ijipn  (LXX,  Syr.  Vulg.)  nor  to 
the  Talmudic  'i^r^i?  assem1;ly  (both  Arabic  translations),  but  as 

at   Prov.   XXX.    17,  obedience,  from    ^J^l    <^.   (for  which   also 

~i^J  ^t,  whence  the  7iom.  pcrs.  np^^  the  obedient,  the  pious) ; 
here,  as  at  Prov.  xxx.  17  with  Dagcsh  dirimcns,  a  connective 

form,  not  of  nni^';^  but  nnp^  {'^^»),  like  ^"p?  the  approach  and 
n-;^':  (parallel  ^-1C^^•)  the  watch,  Ps.  cxli.  3.  D^GV  might  mean 
the  Israelitish  tribes,  as  at  Deut.  xxxiii.  3,  llos.  x.  14  and 
frequently.  But  the  leadership  of  the  tribes  was  already 
awarded  to  Judah  in  \y\  iid"'  vh,  find  the  question  as  to 
whether  he  would  maintain  this  with  respect  to  the  peoples 
around  was  pressing ;  hence  CJ^y  will  not  have  the  meaning 
of  Deut.  xxxiii.  3,  but  of  Deut.  xxx.  17.  But  if  the  nations 
of  the  world  are  intended,  this  suggests  taking  n>'^  (such  is 
the  Masoretic  writing,  see  Prensdorff,  Masora  magna,  p.  322  sq., 
besides  which  however  npa'  and  'h^  occur  in  MSS.)  as  a  name 
of  the  Messiah.  Jacob  has  before  him  in  his  sons  the  twelve-  y 
tribed  nation.  A  nation  however  needs  a  single  leader.  Tiiis 
suggests  taking  nb'w'  personally.  The  king  of  the  latter  days 
exalted  above  the  heathen  misht  be  meant  as  at  Num. 
xxiv.  1 5  sqq. ;  moreover,  the  Messianic  interpretation  of  nb-tr 
has   the   recommendation  of  being  ancient   {Sanhcdriii   086). 


3V8  GENESIS  XLIX.  10. 

But  it  rests  in  its  traditional  form  upon  an  explanation  of  the 
word  which  cannot  be  accepted.  When  the  Samar.  texts 
write  n^L*',  and  Onkelos,  Targ.  Jer.  II.  Syr.,  whom  Aphraates, 
Ephrem,  Bar  -  Hebrreus  (see  his  Scholia  published  by  11. 
Schroter  in  DMZ.  xxiv.)  and  Saadia  follow,  translate :  donee 
vcniat  Mcssias  ciijus  est  rcgmnn,  Aquila  and  Symmachus 
(comp.  Constitut.  apost.  6.  11):  m  airoKenaL  (whom  it  is 
reserved  for  and  belongs  to,  viz.  i)  /daatXela),  Peshitto  :  is  cujus 
illud  (sc.  rcfjnum)  est,  all  these  proceed  upon  the  assumption 
that  n^^L^  (the  Masor.  reading)  or  nbc'  (an  ancient  variation) 
is  equivalent  to  i^''^'  =  i-'  "il;'X.  The  translation  also  of  the  LXX 
(Theod.),  eco?  av  eXOj)  rd  diroKeifMeva  aurw  (continuing ;  koI 
avTo^  irpoaSoKia  eOvoov),  proceeds  from  the  reading  n?'^^  only 
it  does  not  directly  make  the  person  of  the  Messiah  the  subject, 
on  which  account  Justin,  Dial.  c.  120,  would  willingly  stamp 
the  (I  diroKenaL  of  Aq.  and  Symm.  as  the  original  reading  of 
the  Alexandrine  translation.  Eusebius  {Eclog.  loropli)  rightly 
explains  ew?  av  KOfiLarjTac  (according  to  the  context,  not  the 
Messiah,  but  Judah  through  Him)  tt/^  Kara  rcov  o\wv 
^aaCkeiav.  With  n^'iT  =  X?  "lU'S  agrees  the  saying  of  Ezek^ 
xxi,  32,  where  the  utter  destruction  of  the  royal  crown,  which 
had  been  so  shamefully  desecrated  in  Zedekiah,  is  predicted 
vnnj^  ^SC'sn  i^'"i*^''>?  ^<3"^V,  i.c  till  He  comes  to  whom  the 
government  belongs,  and  on  whom  Jahveh  bestows  it.  But 
this  i'?  "lt?'^?  of  Ezekiel  (LXX  w  Kad)]Kei,,  strangely  without  any 
rendering  of  t:sc*an)  is  certainly  only  such  a  modihcation  or 
bending  of  rh''^  as  Jeremiah  also  frequently  allows  himself 
when  borrowing  older  passages  of  Scripture.  For  it  is  im- 
possible that  rh'^'Cf  should  be  equal  to  i^^',  and  the  same  must 
be  said  of  rh'\y  also,  for,  not  to  mention  that  nb=i^  cannot  be 
authenticated,  t5'="i^N;  as  the  first  letter  of  a  proper  or  quasi- 
proper  name  is  also  unexampled,  and  i?'f  (for  which  we 
should  at  least  expect  with  reference  to  Dnc'  or  ppno,  ^i'"!  ^?'f ) 
cannot  of  itself  mean  the  same  as  i^D'  ni^bon'C'  ''D  "  he  to  whom 
the  kingdom  is  due."     Wellhausen   indeed    (Gescli.  p.    375) 


GENESIS  XLIX.  10. 


379 


manages  to  help  the  n>e'  to  become  a  subject  l»y  cxpun.i^ing 
lSi  and  then  translating  :  till  He  comes  to  whom  the  obedience 
of  the  nations  is  due — this  is  however  no  untying,  but  a  cutting 
in  twaiii  of  the  knot.  Stade  {Gcsch.  p.  IGO)  further  enhances 
still  more  the  violence  practised,  by  the  conjecture  that  ver. 
10  is  a  post-exilic  addition.  Another  ancient  view  (Targ.  Jer. 
J.  Jepheth,  Abulw.  Kimchi  ^),  which  derives  rh'"'^  from  b"w*, 
like  nh^v  from  i^V,  and  this  ^y  from  hrc^^hh^  (whence  the 
Talraudic  h'h^\  Arab.  Ja1-j  foetus,  young)  and  ^^^'  (whence 
n^^^tJ'  afterbirth),  must,  if  for  nothing  else,  be  rejected  because 
this  designation  of  the  Messiah  (according  to  Jos.  Kinichi  and 
Dav.  Costelli  in  his  II  Mcssia,  1874:  of  King  David)  as  the 
son  of  Judah,  would  be  among  all  possible  designations  the 
most  ignoble.  Comparatively  more  attractive  is  the  solution  \/ 
i^  'tr  (to  whom  the  consecrated  offerings  of  the  nations  belong, 
^^ccording  to  Ps.  Ixviii.  29,  in  the  Midrash  Ld-ach  toh  on  the 
passage)  and  Lagarde's  ^^'':^'=nVx^  "his  prayed  for  or  longed 
for  one;"  while,  on  the  contrary,  Jei'ome's  donee  veniat  qui 
mittendus  est  is  a  bold  quidproqiio.  There  is  no  need  of  such 
byways  and  ventures  for  understanding  n^''t;'  of  the  Messiah. 
If  n^''::'  is  a  proper  name,  it  designates  the  Messiah  as  the  bearer 
or  bringer  of  rest,  and  is  synonymous  with  ir^^p*,  which  accord- 
ing to  1  Chron.  xxii.  9  is  equal  to  nm^o  &^,  and  the  Samar. 
translator  of  the  Pent,  into  Arabic  (Abu-Sa'id)  actually  trans- 
lates rht\  ^l^l--,  referring  the  prediction  to  Solomon.  So  too 
Donaldson :  Halenms  vatcm  Salomoncum,  sui  tcmporis  lauda  - 
torem.  Luther  explains  somewhat  differently,  and  refer- 
ring to  ibw'  prosperity  and  welfare,  translates :  de7'  licit,  as 
"  one  who  prospers,  who  freely  carries  out  his  plan ; "  but 
the   meaning  :    the  peaceful,  peaceful  kingdom,  peacemaker, 

1  So  too  Samuel  ben  Cliolni  in  the  Arab.  Comm.  of  Israelsohn  (Tetersburg 
1886)  on  Gen.  ehs.  xli.-l.  :  n^ti*  =  aLJ.  ijJ.  (^lis  son  and  descendant). 
Tliis  Gaon  does  not  mention  the  exphmatiou  i"^^  at  all.  Paulus  Cassel 
{Messianische  Stellen,  1885)  even  explains  :  scion,  from  rh^'^n)^- 


380  GENESIS  XLIX.  10. 

certainly  a  more  appropriate  name  for  the  Messiah,  is  a  far 
more  obvious  one.  For  at  Micah  v.  4  He  is  called  Qw,  as  at 
Eph.  ii.  14  elprjVT],  Isa.  ix.  5  DiX'~"ib',  and  at  Zech.  ix.  9  sq.  he 
comes  to  Zion  as  the  King  of  Peace.  The  ending  would  then 
be  the  same  as  in  the  proper  names  iT".  ili^  >^fy:>^  and  others, 
whose  oh  or  6  is  weakened  from  6yi,  and  though  nx'  cannot  be 

'  O  T    T 

regarded  as  the  verb  lying  at  the  root  (from  which  the  noun 
must  have  been  pvtJ',  or  if  we  compare  liT'?  ciro^P  ~\\W\>  ni-^'C', 
''i7^tJ'=''i?w'),  yet  hvd,  synonymous  with  ^Y^,  can,  and  this  means 
to  hang  down  loosely,  to  be  unstrung,  to  rest,  whence  '"iVc*  as 
a  proper  name  means  a  quiet,  homelike  place,  inviting  to  rest 
(comp.  iT72  Josh.  XV.  51,  from  P''2),  or  a  peaceable  happy  person 
bringing  peace  and  happiness,  without  our  needing  to  have 
recourse  to  Eodiger's  expedient,  that  rb^U  (LXX  Judg.  xxi.  12 
and  frequently  HrjXwfM  with  ^r)\(o)  is  weakened  from  Di^K'. 
At  all  events  it  is  a  proper  name,  for  a  nomcn  ajrpcll.  n^-L", 
with  the  meaning  of  rest  or  place  of  rest,  would  be  unique  as 
to  formation;  even  nMnx  Prov.  xxvii.  20  {Chcthib),  as  a  name 
of  Hades,  being  rather  a  n.  ^jr.  than  a  n.  appdl.  The  language 
has  the  nouns  y'^^  (not  n|pc^")  nw  USh'd  nmjo,  with  the  meaning 
of  rest.  To  take  it  as  an  appellative :  till  rest  comes  (Neum. 
Hofm.  Pieuss),  or :  till  he  comes  to  the  resting-place,  seems  with 
such  a  store  of  synonyms  inadmissible. 

But  the  n^''C'  of  our  passage  is  no  air.  jeyp.,  and  the  first 
question  of  all  must  be,  what  ni^^c'  or,  as  it  is  everywhere  else 
written,  ^^^  (S^^p)  means  elsewhere.  It  is  there  the  name  of 
an  Ephraimite  town  in  the  country  on  this  side  Jordan  (hence 
;n3  jnN;3  nc'X  ribi^  Josh.  xxii.  9,  xxi.  2,  Judg.  xxi.  12),  the 
ruins  of  which  are  still  to  be  seen,  in  conformity  with  the 
statement  Judg.  xxi.  19,  "on  the  north  of  Bethel,  on  the  east 
side  of  the  road  that  goes  up  from  Bethel  to  Shechem,  on  the 
south  of  Lebonah  (Lubban)."  They  still  bear  the  name  of 
Selun  {^(.Xovv  in  Josh.^),  and  lie  upon  a  bare  height  above 
the  village  Turmus  Aja,  which  is  situate  on  a  plateau  enclosed 
^  See  G.  Bbttger,  To-pograpldsch-hist.  Lex.  zu  Josephus  (1879),  p.  231. 


GENESIS  XLIX.   10.  381 

on  all  sides  by  lulls.  When  the  name  of  this  town  is  used 
as  an  accus.  of  direction,  it  is  said  just  as  here  n?C'  N13  Josh, 
xviii.  9,  1  Sam.  iv.  12,  nbi:^  N''3n  Judg.  xxi.  12,  1  Sam.  i.  24, 
nhz'  n^D'  1  Sam.  iv.  4,  rh^  i^n  1  Kings  xiv.  2,  4.  The  next 
tiling  tlien  surely  is  to  see  whether  "  till  he  (Judah)  comes  to 
Shiloh "  gives  a  meaning  agreeable  to  the  context  and  to 
liistory.  It  has  been  objected  against  this  geographical  com- 
prehension of  n^E^,  which  has  been  preferred  by  Herder  and 
since  him  by  many  others,  that  the  name  Shiloh  did  not 
originate  till  Joshua's  time,  and  that  the  place  was  formerly 
called  n^xri  (Hgst.),  or  that  nyj'  njsn^  in  the  meaning  of 
"  meeting  at  the  resting-place,"  was  the  full  name  then  given 
it  (Hofm.) ;  but  the  Taanath  Shiloh  of  Josh.  vi.  G,  in  Euseb. 
and  Jer,  Thanaih  {Thcnath),  now  Ain  Tdiiak,  is  a  north- 
eastern border  town  of  the  territory  of  Ephraim,  differing 
from  Shiloh.  It  was  the  name  of  a  place  already  existing, 
which  Jacob  made,  as  he  did  the  names  of  his  sons,  an  omen 
of  the  future.  Why  should  he,  who  had  resided  for  a  period 
near  Shechem,  not  have  known  of  this  mid-Palestinian  Shiloh  ? 
At  ver.  13  he  names  n''V,  and  at  ch.  xlviii.  uses  the  word 
D3*^'  district,  with  an  allusion  to  Shechem,  just  as  he  here  uses 
the  word  rh'''^  not  without  consciousness  of  its  meaninji  of 
place  of  rest.  But  the  question  is — (1)  Did  Judah  maintain 
this  stated  supremacy  among  the  tribes  till  the  twelve-tribed 
nation  assembled  at  Shiloh  ?  and  (2)  Was  Shiloh  the  turning- 
point  from  Judah's  tribal  to  his  national  sovereignty  ?  With 
respect  to  the  first  question,  it  is  not  against  an  affirmative 
answer,  that,  first  Moses,  a  Levite,  and  then  Joshua,  an 
Ephraimite,  were  the  leaders  of  the  people  on  their  march  to 
Canaan — for  Moses  and  Joshua  were  what  they  were  not  by 
reason  of  their  descent  from  this  or  that  tribe,  but  in  virtue 
of  the  Divine  choice  personally  resting  on  them ;  and  the 
question  here  is  as  to  the  relation  of  tlie  tribes  to  each  other. 
Nor  is  it  any  contradiction,  that  Reuben,  Gad  and  half  of 
Manasseh  marclied  before  ('Id!^)  Israel  (Xum.  xxxii  17,  Deut. 


382  GENESIS  XLIX.  10. 

iii.  18  and  frequently) — for  they  marched  before  the  other 
tribes,  but  not  at  their  head.  The  primacy  of  the  tribe  of 
Judah  among  the  tribes  was  really  that  which  Jacob  pre- 
dicted. At  the  first  numbering  of  the  people  in  the  wilder- 
ness of  Sinai,  Judah  appears  as  the  most  numerous  of  all  the 
tribes,  Num.  i.,  and  at  the  second  in  the  plains  of  Moab 
he  had,  notwithstanding  the  judgments  meantime  inflicted, 
increased,  Num.  xxvi.  In  the  order  of  encampment  he  is 
the  first  tribe  of  the  three,  who  form  the  front  of  the  square 
encamped  about  the  sanctuary,  and  hence  the  bearer  of  the 
first  of  the  four  chief  standards,  Num.  ii, ;  and  when  the 
signal  for  starting  was  given,  the  three  tribes  (Judah,  Issachar 
and  Zebulun),  which  together  were  called  the  camp  of  Judah, 
were  the  first  to  move.  Num.  x.,  comp.  ii.  9.  Judah  also 
maintained  this  position  during  the  wars  of  conquest  under 
Joshua ;  for  when  the  conquered  country  was  divided,  it  was 
Judah  who  in  Gilgal  received  first  of  all  the  tribes  his 
hereditary  territory.  Josh.  xv.  The  camp  was  then  trans- 
ferred to  Shiloh  in  the  heart  of  the  country.  Here  the  tribes 
assembled,  Judah  at  their  head  ;  here  the  sanctuary  was  set 
up  and  the  division  of  the  land  completed.  This  coming  to 
Shiloh  undoubtedly  forms  the  boundary  between  two  periods 
of  Israel's  history.  We  only  need  to  read  how  the  assembling 
of  the  people  at  Shiloh  is  related,  Josh,  xviii.  1  :  "  And  the 
whole  congregation  of  the  sons  of  Israel  assembled  themselves 
together  at  Shiloh,  and  set  up  the  tent  of  meeting  there,  and 
the  land  was  suhducd  before  them."  Is  not  the  coming  to 
Shiloh  here  held  up  as  a  deeply  cut  mark  in  the  history  of 
Israel  ?  Then  was  fulfilled  what  Moses  had  in  his  blessing 
entreated  for  the  tribe  of  Judah,  Deut.  xxxiii.  7 :  "  May 
Jahveh  hear  the  cry  of  Judah  and  bring  him  home  to  his 
people — his  hands  contended  for  himself,  and  thou  art  his  help 
against  his  oppressors  "  (see  the  Targums  and  Volck  on  this 
passage).  The  coming  to  Shiloh,  till  which  Judah  had  not 
ceased  to  stand  at  the  head  of  the  tribes,  was  the  commence- 


GENESIS  XLIX.  10.  383 

nient  of  the  settlement  and  possession ;  rh'^iy  became  wliat  its 
name  denoted,  the  resting-phxce  of  Israel,  comp.  Josh.  xxi.  42, 
XX.  4  with  xviii.    1,^     The  second  question  is,  wliether  after 
Judah,  the  t::  (1  Chron.  v.  2)  of  tlic  tribes,  had  come  as  a 
victor  to  Shiloh  the  cny  nnp''  liji  was  fulfilled.    This  too  is  con- 
firmed, if  only  we  do  not  forget  that  Jacob's  prediction,  like 
all  prophecy,  has  regard  to  the  climax  of  the  time  following 
and  overlooks  the  interval  which  elapses.    It  is  not  necessary, 
in  order  to  regard  the  prophecy  as  fulfilled,  that  the  tribe  of 
Judah   should,  after  Shiloh  became   the  head  and  centre   of 
the  tribes,  have  always  maintained  and  exercised  its  princely 
rights ;   it  is  sufficient    that  the  time  of  the    Judges  shows 
single     fulfilments    of    the    prophecy.       For    wlien     Joshua 
was  dead,  the  tribe  of  Judah  was  called  to  take  the  preced- 
ence in  the   war  against  the  Canaanites,  Judg.  i.  1   sq.,  and 
afterwards  in  tlie  war  against  Benjamin,  Judg.  xx,   18  ;  and 
when  the  people  submitted  to  that  rule  of  individual  judges 
imposed  upon  them  by  circumstances,  it  was  Othniel,  of  the 
tribe  of  Judah,  who  was  the  first  of  the  series,  Judg.  iii.  9. 
Besides,  did  not  Judah,  after  being,  during  the  disorganized 
period  of  the  Judges,  kept  back  from  its  dignity  as  the  cliief 
tribe,  become  the  royal  tribe  of  Israel  ?     Elohim  chose  not  the 
tribe  of  Ephraim,  as  it  is  said  Ps.  Ixxviii.,  but  chose  the  tribe  of 
Judah,  the  hill  of  Zion  which  He  loved.     David  and  Solomon, 
tlirough    whom   the  victorious   conflicts   and  peaceable  sway 
promised  to  him  were  gloriously  fulfilled,  were  of  the  tribe  of 
Judah.     What  Israel  experienced  under  David  and  Solomon 
was  not  indeed  as  yet  the  period  of  final  and  unfading  glory. 

1  Driver,  in  the  Ejcposi/or,  18S5,  vol.  vii.,  and  in  liis  excf;etical  studies  on 
Gen.  xlix.  10  in  the  Cambrldrje  Journal  of  PhUoloyy,  vol.  xiv.,  thinks  liiniself 
obliged  to  understand  t03tJ'  in  its  strict  meaning  of  "a  royal  sceptre"  (but 
comp.  Num.  xxi.  18),  and  therefore  finally  aci[uiesces  in  the  explanation 
according  to  the  LXX  :  till  His  (Him  appointed  to  Ilim  by  promise)  shall  come 
(wliich  Briggs  also  follows  in  his  Messianic  Prophecy,  1886).  We  are  thankful 
for  the  information,  that  the  explanation  quoiisque  veniat  Silo  of  Seb.  Munster's 
translation  (153-1)  and  that  of  Herder,  after  the  precedent  of  W.  G.  Teller  (1766), 
are  in  circulation. 


384  GENESIS  XLIX.  11, 

V>iit  did  not  tlie  kingship  of  Jadah,  given  Him  according  to 
promise,  become  the  tree  from  which  Jesus  Christ,  the  pre- 
dicted Zemach,  grew  ?  TIpohrfKou  'yap  on  e^  'lovSa  avare- 
ToXKev  6  Kvpio<i  t)fjb(jov,  Ileb.  vii.  14.  In  Him  Judah  is  for 
ever  the  Adored,  the  Victor,  the  King,  the  universal  liuler. 
For  though  it  is  true  that  tlie  super-terrestrial  existence  of  the 
exalted  Eedeemer,  as  such,  is  one  which  is  also  super-national, 
yet  the  earthly  history,  from  which  He  proceeded  and  rose  on 
high,  was  not  thereby  undone.  Even  in  heaven  the  seer,  who 
was  transported  thither,  was  comforted  by  one  of  the  elders 
before  the  throne  with  the  words  :  Weep  not ;  behold,  the  Lion 
of  the  tribe  of  Judah  hath  overcome,  Kev.  v.  5. 
I  i~  Thus    the  prophecy  has  Christ  as  the   goal  of  its    fulfil- 

ment ;  it  is  jMessianic  without  our  needing  to  understand  rh'U^ 
personally.  Judah  is  the  subj.  of  X3%  and  remains  such  in  ver. 
1 1  sq.,  which  describes  the  full  blessing  of  Judah's  peaceable 
possession,  when  he  shall  have  come  to  Shiloli :  Binding  his 
foal  unto  the  tine,  and  his  ass's  colt  unto  the  choice  vine,  he 
luashcs  Ids  raimcni  in  wine  and  his  mantle  in  tlie  blood  of  the 
graiM.  His  eyes  dark  with  tvinc,  and  his  teeth  ivhite  with  milk. 
Judah  binds  witliout  concern  (in  Judah  they  bind)  the  wuld 
foal  to  a  tree  bearing  good  fruit  instead  of  a  stake — the  fruit- 
fulness  of  the  land  is  so  great  that  there  is  no  anxiety  to 
prevent  damage.  '''}pj|^  with  the  ancient  and  almost  always 
accented  connective  sound,  stands  before  a  word  with  a 
prepos.,  as  at  Ex.  xv.  6,  Ps.  cxi.  5,  Obad.  3,  Isa.  xxii.  6, 
Micah  vii.  14,  Lam.  i.  1,  Ps.  cxxiii.  1  and  frequently,  and  "'j^ 
has   the  same  connective  sound  as  the  first  member  of  the 

stat.  constr.  as  at  xxxi.  39.  Besides  i^.v,  ■\Ji.i,  ^Pi.t!'?  desig- 
nates a  special  kind  of  good  wine  from  the  light  red  colour 
of  its  grapes,  or  rather  of  their  juice.  For  light  red  is  in 
Syria  and  Palestine  the  colour  of  the  so-called  white  wine, 
while  the  red  wine  is  black  vino  ncro.  On  tlie  perf.  lib  as 
expressing  the  abstract  present,  see  Ges.  §   126.  3.     nhiD  is 


GENESIS  XLIX.   11.  385 

contracted  from  nraip,  from  nip  to  wrap  round,  not  maimed, 
from  nmD3  as  the  Samaritans  read.  Tlie  connective  form 
jpi'  follows  the  analogy  of  ^3S  Ps.  xxxv.  14,  Olsh.  §  1676. 
Then — for  this  is  the  meaning  of  these  images — beo'ins  a 
time  of  happy  and  prosperous  peace.  The  disquietude  of 
battle  will  then  be  at  an  end.  Judah  rides  upon  the  animal 
of  peace,  and  the  land  is  full  of  vines,  the  seed  of  peace 
(Zech.  viii.  12),  and  abounds  in  wine.  The  eyes  of  Judah  then 
no  longer  flash  with  eagerness  for  the  battle,  but  are  dimly 
dark  Cl^'^pn  adj.  after  the  formation  'I'nv^!,  from  i'^n  J.C^, 
lUCU-  to  be  firm  and  close,  then  to  bo  dark  (Assyr.  akdhi^)) 

with  wine,  and  his  teeth  white  with  milk,  his  mouth  being 
full  of  this  childlike  and  rural  nourishment.  To  understand 
the  two  p  comparatively :  his  eyes  have  a  darker  fire  than 
wine,  and  his  teeth  are  whiter  than  milk,  gives  a  trait  more 
adapted  to  Canticles  than  to  this  conte.xt.  Judah  has  finished 
his  conflicts,  and  now  enjoys  in  confident  peace  the  abundance 
of  his  land.  The  territory  of  Judah  was  favourable  for  tiie 
culture  of  the  vine  (Josh.  i.  7  sqq.,  iv.  18,  2  Chron.  xxvi.  10), 
especially  the  hilly  district  of  Hebron  and  Engedi  (Num. 
xiii.  23  sq.,  Cant.  i.  14),  and  not  less  so  for  cattle-breeding, 
especially  the  excellent  pasture  land  at  Carmel  and  near 
Tekoa  (1  Sain.  xxv.  2,  Amos  i.  2,  2  Chron.  xxvi.  10).  And 
such  a  simple,  idyllic,  peaceful  life  was  indeed,  during  the 
period  of  the  Judges,  the  happy  lot  of  Judah  above  all  the 
other  tribes.  In  the  times  of  David  and  Solomon  all  Israel 
shared  in  the  prosperity  of  Judah,  1  Kings  v.  5.  But  with 
Solomon  it  came  to  an  end.  The  Ephrainiite  Siiiloh  was  not 
yet  the  turning-point  to  true  and  lasting  prosperity.  Hence 
vv.  10,  11  are  also  eschatologic.  The  promise  of  peace 
bestowed  upon  Judah,  was  first  fulfilled  in  Him  who  entered 
rejoicing  Zion  riding  upon  an  ass  and  spake  i)eace  to  the 
nations,  and  not  perfectly  and  enduringly  in  Ilim,  till  not  only 

^  See  Friedr.  Delitzsch  in  Zimmcrn,  Bahyl.  Bu'<spsal.  p.  115. 
VOL.  II.  2  B 


386  GENESIS  XLIX.  13. 

He  Himself,  in  whom  the  history  of  Judah  is  recapitulated, 
shall  have  entered  into  the  /caraTravcrt?  of  the  other  world, 
but  shall  also  have  fetched  His  Church  into  that  Kardiravai,^ 
of  the  other  world,  which  is  the  heavenly  counterpart  of  the 
rh''^  of  this  world  and  of  the  full  enjoyment  of  earthly  peace. 
The  prophecy  sounds  as  if  it  were  national,  temporal,  earthly  ; 
but  viewed  in  the  history  of  its  fulfilment,  it  discloses 
relations  and  facts  of  a  spiritual,  eternal  and  heavenly 
nature. 

If  the  succession  of  birth  were  observed,  Dan  and  Naphtali, 
the  two  sons  of  Bilhah,  and  then  Gad  and  Asher,  the  two 
sons  of  Zilpah,  sliould  follow  Judah.  Instead  of  this,  the  four 
already  named  sons  of  Leah  (Eeuben,  Simeon,  Levi  and 
Judah)  are  followed  by  her  two  other  sons,  and  in  such- 
wise  that,  as  in  the  blessing  of  Moses,  the  sixth,  Zebulun, 
precedes  the  fifth,  Issachar.  The  blessing  pronounced  upon 
Zebulun,  ver.  13  :  Zebulun — near  to  the  coast  of  the  sea  shall 
he  dwell,  yea  he,  near  to  the  coast  of  the  shi2)s,  and  his  side 
leans  on  Sidon.  The  Nini  occurring  three  times  in  cli.  xlix.  is 
justified  at  ver.  19,  and  to  a  certain  extent  at  ver.  20,  by  tlie 
contrast ;  here  it  is  only  a  corroborative  idemque  ;  this  rather 
pleonastic  than  emphatic  use  of  the  personal  pronoun  recalls 
tlie  style  of  Hosea.  The  territory  of  Zebulun  at  its  western 
extension  never  directly  reached  the  Mediterranean  (see  Josh, 
xix.  10-16),  nor  did  that  of  Asher  to  whom  the  C??!!  ^ini? 
Judg.  V.  17  is,  in  accordance  with  Josh.  xix.  20,  transferred. 
It  was  shut  in  on  the  north  in  the  direction  towards  Sidon  and 
on  the  west  towards  the  Mediterranean  by  Asher.  Thus  the 
fulfilment  did  not  come  up  to  either  the  wish  or  the  prophecy, 
as  e.g.  Acco  and  Sidon  also,  which  were  allotted  to  the  tribe 
of  Asher,  remained  in  the  possession  of  the  Cauaanites,  Judg. 
i.  13,  Josh.  xix.  28,  Besides  hv  the  reading  ny  (Targ.  Jer. 
Samar.  and  Codices)  is  also  found.  The  plur.  Q""'?'  does  not 
refer  to  the  western  sea  and  to  the  sea  of  Kinnereth,  but 
means  (comp.   Gen.  i.   10)  the  main  sea,  as  is  evident  from 


GENESIS  XLIX.  14,  15.  387 

Judg.  V.  15.  In  what  sense  his  position  with  respect  to  tlio 
main  sea  is  a  blessing  to  Zebulun  is  indicated  in  ri'px  f\)n.  It 
is  through  his  nearness  to  the  sea  that  he  becomes  a  pro- 
sperous tribe,  rejoicing  in  the  blessings  of  marine  commerce ; 
a  tribe  which,  as  Deut.  xxxiii.  19  says  of  him  and  of  his 
neighbouring  brother  Issachar,  sucks  the  accumulated  abund- 
ance of  the  seas  and  the  hidden  treasures,  which  are  carried 
from  the  sandy  coast  into  the  interior. 

Zebulun  is  followed  by  his  elder  brother.  Tlie  saying 
concerning  Issachar,  ver.  14  :  Issachar  is  a  hon//  ass,  strctcliiiuf 
liimself  hetiijcen  the  shcepfolds.  Geiger's  conjecture  Diii  "^lon 
(an  ass  of  burden  of  foreigners),  approved  by  Schroter  and 
Olsh.,  does  not  give  the  meaning  put  upon  it,  for  wliich 
we  should  on  the  contrary  have  expected  instead  of  Dn:i, 
nni  or  nn33 ;  nor  is  it  true  that  D13  ilJ^n  means  an  emaciated 
ass,  the  expression  points  to  a  strong-boned  ass.  0."'^?*^^'!!, 
the  square  sheepfold,  is  an  image  of  the  country  within 
which  Issachar,  contented  with  material  advantages  and 
enjoyments,  and  indifferent  to  tlie  honours  of  victory  and 
independence,  quietly  employs  and  takes  care  of  himself, 
ver.  15  :  He  saiu  rest  that  it  ivas  good  and  the  land  that  it  toas 
pleasant,  and  homed  his  shoidder  to  the  hurdcn  and  became  a 
serving  tash-iuorhcr.  Instead  of  the  neutral  31D  (good,  or  : 
a  good)  the  Samar.  needlessly  corrects  naio.  The  phrase  "  to 
become  iri'yDD/'  ix.  a  serving  (task-working)  tributary,  is 
Ibund  also  in  historic  prose,  Josh.  xvi.  10,  1  Kings  ix.  21. 
The  bright  side  of  the  saying  is,  that  Issachar  will  bcconje  a 
robust  and  hardy  race,  and  receive  a  pleasant  country,  inviting 
to  comfortable  repose  (according  to  Josh.  Bell.  iii.  ?>.  2  also,  rhv 
rfKiara  yP)';  (ptkoTrovov,  the  attractive  Lower  Galilee  with  the 
lovely  and  fertile  plain  of  Jezre'el)  (the  Midrash  understands 
by  D'^yj,  Nain  in  the  west  of  the  so-called  Lesser  llermon). 
The  dark  side,  that  he  is  no  freedom-loving  N^si,  but  a  willingly 
labouring  li^H,  who,  through  his  tendency  to  gain  and  comfort, 
will  rather  submit  to  the  yoke  of  foreign  sway,  than  risk   his 


383  GENESIS  XLIX,  16,  17. 

profits  and  possessions  by  warlike  eflbrts.^  Eitter  finds  here 
described  the  occupation  of  the  nomadic  tribes  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Phcenicia,  who  furnished  the  Phoenicians  with 
their  caravan  horses,  and  were  their  carriers ;  for  the  territory 
of  Issachar,  to  which  belonged  the  great  plain  of  Jezre'el 
towards  Beisan,  lay  on  the  high  caravan  road  between 
rhoenicia  and  the  Jordan,  leading  to  Arabia  and  Damascus 
{Erdkunde,  xvi.  19).  At  all  events  the  yoke  upon  the  neck 
(Isa.  X.  27)  is  no  blessing,  and  1?^  DO?  iTn  to  be  bound  to 
villeinage,  to  be,  as  it  were,  taxable  in  labour,  does  not 
become  Israel,  the  nation  called  to  free  dominion,  1  Kings 
ix.  22,  comp.  Prov.  xii.  24,  but  the  Canaanites,  upon  whom 
was  inflicted  the  curse  of  bondage,  Josh.  xvi.  10,  1  Kings 
ix.  20  sq.,  and  the  enemies  of  Israel  in  general,  so  far  as  they 
are  not  utterly  extirpated,  Deut.  xx.  11. 

After  the  six  sons  of  Leah  comes  the  turn  of  the  sons  of 
the  handmaid,  whose  sons  were  born  before  Eachel's  own 
sons,  and  first  of  Dan  whose  nomcn  Jacob  makes  an  omen  of 
his  future,  ver.  16  :  Dan  shall  judge  his  people  as  one  of  the 
tribes  of  Israel.  By  '^V  is  meant  Israel,  as  at  Deut.  xxxiii.  7, 
he  will  defend  this  as  an  independent  tribe,  without  being  lost 
among  the  other  tribes  ;  on  the  contrary,  he  will  stand  up  with 
them  for  the  rights  and  honour  of  the  nation  notwithstanding 
his  smallness,  for  what  he  lacks  in  power  he  will  compensate 
for  by  stratagem,  ver.  17  :  Dan  is  a  serpent  in  the  icay  and  a 
horned  snake  in  the  path,  u-hieh  bites  the  necks  of  the  horse,  and 
he  that  rideth  it  fallcth  bacJcwards.  The  1  of  bB\]  is,  as  fre- 
quently, consecutive  without  being  conversive.  i33T  can 
scarcely  mean  the  carriage  driver  (L.  Geiger),  but  in  its  direct 

1  The  Avar-ass  imleed  stands  in  Aiciliic  (( i^^l\    A/*>-  i^-V-^".   xxxvi.   272) 

on  a  level  with  the  war-horse,  so  that  not  only  the  notion  of  endurance  but  also 

that  of  eagerness  for  battle  is  combined,  e.g.  in  the  surname  i"jl:sall     il.K5»- 

"  the  ass  of  Mesopotamia,"  borne  by  the  Chalif  Mcrwan  II.  {DMZ.  xxxiv. 
735).  On  the  other  hand,  the  stupidity  of  the  ass  is  proverbial  in  the  East 
also(Z)i/Z.  xL  2G6sq.). 


GENESIS  XLIX.  18.  389 

reference  to  d^D,  as  also  at  Ex.  xv.  1,  the  lider  cquo  vchentcm. 
ib'S^ii'  (from  cid'lT  to  rub  the  ground,  to  creep)  is  according  to 
.Jerome  cerastes  {Kepdar7)<i),  i.e.  the  horned  viper.  This  vi])er 
has  the  brownish  yellow  colour  of  the  sand,  from  which  it 
protrudes  its  knot-like  antennas,  and  inflicts  its  deadly  bite 
on  any  one  treading  on  it  unawares  (Diod.  2.  49,  20.  42, 
riin.  8.  23,  Solinus,  p.   136,  ed.  Mommsen) ;  it  is  called  in 

•41'  J 

Arabic  i^sXo  (the  horned)  or  (according  to  Curt  Vogel  in 
Vom  Fcls  zum  Mecr,  1881,  November)  ^Ul  Leffdh  (the  striker, 

i.e.  biter).  The  territory  of  Dan  lay  between  Judah  and 
Ephraim,  and  only  attained  in  some  degree  its  requisite  size 
by  the  relinquishment  of  some  of  their  cities  by  these  two 
tribes.  Dan  was  nevertheless  an  independent  tribe  like  any 
other,  and  held  his  own  against  Canaanites  and  Philistines, 
with  whom  he  was  by  his  bold  craftiness  involved  in  constant 
strife.  This  trait  of  character  in  Dan  shows  itself  in  the 
expedition  described  ch,  xviii.,  and  reaches  its  climax  in  the 
romantic  chivalry  of  Samson.  The  patriarch,  beholding  the 
nation  that  descends  from  him  imperilled  by  obstinate  conflict 
with  the  nations  of  the  world,  and  the  future  salvation 
threatened  together  with  it,  looks  up  in  prayer  to  Jahveh, 
ver.  18:  /  hope  for  Thy  salvedion,  Jahveh!  The  name  of 
Jahveh  does  not  exclude  the  possibility  of  Jacob's  blessing 
being  derived  from  Q  or  E.  Jacob's  end  is  indeed  the  threshold 
of  the  Mosaic  period,  the  sign  manual  of  wliich  is  this  name. 
In  no  case  is  ver.  18  a  heterogeneous  insertion  (J.  D.  Mich. 
Vatke).  It  is  just  the  prophetic  glance  of  the  seer  at  the 
history  of  the  tribe  of  Dan,  which  he  beholds  involved  in 
obstinate  and  enduring  conflict  with  the  Philistines,  so  far  his 
superiors  in  numbers  and  military  power,  which  is  changed 
into  an  upward  glance  to  the  God  of  salvation.  The  meaning 
of  nirf  "'n'"ip  "inyv^^  cannot  well  be  better  developed  than  in  the 
Jer.  Targum :  "  Yet  not  to  the  redemption  wrought  by  Gideon, 
the  son  of  Joash,  does  my  soul  look,  for  it  is  temporal ;  not 


390  GENESIS  XLIX.  19,  20. 

to  the  redemption  wrought  by  Samson,  the  son  of  Manoah,  is 
my  longing  directed,  for  it  is  transitory  ;  but  to  the  redemption 
which  Thou  hast  promised  to  bring  to  Thy  people,  the  seed  of 
Israel,  through  Thy  word.  To  Thy  redemption,  0  Jahveh,  to 
the  redemption  of  the  Messiah,  the  Son  of  David,  who  will 
one  day  redeem  Israel  and  bring  him  back  from  exile,  to  that 
redemption  is  my  sight  and  my  desire  directed,  for  Thy 
redemption  is  an  everlasting  redemption."  The  patriarch 
expects  the  full  and  final  redemption  of  Israel  from  all  hostile 
powers,  not  from  man,  but  from  an  act  of  Jahveh  Himself. 

Then  having,  as  it  were,  obtained  from  Jahveh's  fulness 
new  power  and  matter  for  blessing,  he  turns  to  Gad,  his  first 
son  by  Zilpah,  ver.  19  :  Gad — a  icarlikc  throng  shall  press 
'Upon  him,  and  he  shall  i)rcss  V2')07i  their  heel.  The  verb  *nj 
(nj),  witli  whicli  the  name  "12  is  here  brought  into  combination, 
means  to  cut  into,  to  press  upon,  to  attack  in  a  hostile  manner 
(with  an  ace.  following  as  at  Tlab.  iii.  16,  or  ^V  as  at  Ps. 
xliv.  21).  Gad  had  to  dwell  beyond  Jordan  and  there 
to  endure  much  from  the  Ammonites,  half  of  whose  territory 
was  taken  possession  of  by  him  (Josh.  xiii.  24-28),  and 
from  the  marauding  desert  tribes  in  general,  but  faithful  to 

his  name  he  will  victoriously  resist  their  raids  (c-Jl.ji),  put- 
ting the  hostile  troop  to  flight,  following  on  their  heels  and 
slaying  the  fugitives.  Saying  concerning  Asher,  Jacob's 
second  son  by  Zilpah,  ver.  20  :  From  Asher  comes  fat,  his 
bread,  and  he  yields  roycd  dairities.  To  understand  "  from 
Asher  (i.e.  as  to  what  comes  from  Asher) — his  bread  is  fat "  is 
forced  ;  '^^[^^  is  in  apposition  to  i^^P^' :  fat,  fat  food  as  his  daily 
nourishment.  But  all  these  sayings  begin  with  the  mere  name 
of  the  person  to  be  blessed ;  and  we  must,  with  Scheid,  Bleek, 
Kn.  Olsh.  take  over  the  o  of  -i::'n»  to  npv  {^^?V.  their,  the 
oppressors'  heels),  so  that  the  sa3'ing  may  begin  more  smoothly: 
Asher — fat  is  his  bread.  On  Nini  see  on  ver.  13.  The  pro- 
duce of  his  soil  is  so  abundant,  that  besides  feeding  on  the 


GENESIS  XLIX.  21.  391 

fat  himself,  lie  furnishes  kings  with  the  dainties  of  their 
tables.  n^oij'  is  meant  to  recall  l^*^,  according  to  Deut. 
xxxiii.  24,  Asher  dips  his  foot  iu  oil.  His  territory  in  the 
low  lands  of  Carmel  along  the  coast  of  the  Mediterranean 
(Judg.  V.  17)  up  to  the  more  mountainous  districts  of  Sidon, 
was  one  of  the  most  fertile  of  lands,  and  yielded  excellent 
corn,  wine  and  oil.  Saying  concerning  JSTaphtali,  Jacoh's 
second  son  by  Bilhah,  ver.  21  :  Najjhtali  is  a  land  let  loose, 
one  who  is  the  hringcr  forth  of  goodly  words.  Two  things  are 
here  allotted  to  Naphtali :  unrestrained  agility  of  movement  and 
the  gift  of  refined  and  agreeable  speech.  The  former  alludes  to 
the  independent  possession  of  a  mountainous  district,  in  which 
he  ranges  unfettered,  and  the  latter  marks  him  as  the  poetic 
and  eloquent  tribe  of  Israel ;  of  this  however  no  evidence 
can  be  produced  except  that  the  song  of  Deborah,  Judg.  v., 
is  introduced  as  the  song  of  Deborah  and  of  liarak  the 
Naphtalite — by  the  commendation  "  Naphtali  upon  the  high 
jilaces  of  the  field,"  ver.  18,  it  enters  into  relation  with  the 
l)lessing  of  Jacob,  nmpp'  np'X  means  a  hind  let  loose,  left  to 
itself  (comp.  31TI?  Deut,  xxxii.  36),  roaming  about  at  will ;  the 
point  of  comparison  is  not,  as  in  the  image  of  the  gazelle 
2  Sam.  ii.  18,  1  Chron.  xii.  8,  swiftness,  but  as  at  Hab.  iii.  19, 
the  happy  state  of  freedom.  Hence  ancient  translators 
(Targ.  III.  Syr.  Saad.  Pers.)  have  incorrectly  allowed  them- 
selves to  be  led  by  nni^L"  to  the  notion  of  a  messenger,  and  to 
make  the  image  represent  Naphtali's  successful  qualifica- 
tion for  the  vocation  of  a  messenger.  The  LXX  reads  differ- 
ently and  translates :  a)9  crTeA.e;^o?  dveifiivov,  eVtStSoi'?  iu  tw 
yevvrifxaTt  kuX\.o<;,  i.e.  like  a  tall  stem  supplying  beauty  in  the 
iruit.  It  cannot  be  certainly  determined  upon  what  wording 
of  the  text  this  is  founded :  crTe\e;^09  seems  to  be  a  general- 
izing rendering  of  rh''ii  (although  this  is  translated  repe^ivdo<; 
XXXV.  4  and  <jTeX€'^o<i  is  more  closely  defined  Job  xxix.  18  : 
ioairep  crTeiVe^o?  ^olvlko^),  and  eV  tcZ  '^e.vv!)\xarL  points  rather 
to  nD3   than    to  '"^'P'^    (Wipfel).      In    no   case   can   aTeXe^o^i 


392  GENESIS  XLIX.  22. 

avetfjueuov  mean  virgultum  rcsolutum  (Jer.)  or  truncus  ex  quo 
virgidta  (^Xaarrifiara)  'prodcunt  (Schleusner),  but  on  the 
contrary  stirps  procera  (from  dvcevai,  to  cause  to  grow).  Hence 
Bochart,  Lowth,  Herder,  Ew.  Olsh.  Dillm.  read  and  trans- 
late :  Naphtali  is  a  slender  terebinth,  one  who  bears  a 
pleasant  crown  ;  for  iSTaphtali's  territory — as  Hofmann  explains 
the  image — rises  from  the  Lake  of  Gennesareth  to  Mount 
Lebanon ;  the  roots  of  the  terebinth  rest  by  the  lake,  pleasant 
cities  are  the  branches  which  it  casts  forth,  and  Mount 
Lebanon,  to  which  it  extends  like  an  arch,  is  its  crown.  The 
Masoretic  text  however  has  the  testimony  of  Targums  and  the 
Samar.  in  its  favour ;  besides,  with  this  figure  we  should 
expect  J^.^Jj^n^  and  moreover  ^^^'^  in  the  meaning  of  stretched, 
slender,  is  uncorroborated  and  linguistically  improbable. 

The  sayings  concerning  the  sons  of  the  handmaids  close 
with  Naphtali.  Tiiey  began  witli  Bilhah's  son  Dan  and 
terminate  witli  her  son  Naphtali,  Zilpah's  two  sons,  Gad  and 
Asher,  standing  between  them.  IJachel's  own  sons,  Joseph, 
born  in  Aramaea,  and  Benjamin,  born  on  the  way  to  Ephrath, 
form  the  conclusion  (xlviii.  7).  Joseph  is  the  deliverer,  the 
stay,  the  pride  of  his  family  ;  it  has  really  come  to  pass  that  the 
sun,  moon  and  stars,  i.e.  his  father,  mother  and  brethren,  bow 
down  before  him  ;  the  blessing  pronounced  upon  him  flows 
from  the  fulness  of  grateful  love,  and  is  therefore  the  most 
comprehensive  of  all,  vv.  22-26.  The  image,  with  which  it 
begins,  is  perhaps  occasioned  by  the  name  DHr^,  ver.  22  : 
The  son  of  a  fruit-tree  is  Josepih,  the  son  of  a  friiii-trce  hy  a 
fountain,  whose  branches  run  ^ipon  the  wall,  or  if  we  esteem 
the  chief  point  of  the  comparison  to  be  not  support  and 
shelter  by  means  of  a  prop,  but  productive  power  and  eleva- 
tion :  over  the  wall.  Both  "  up  "  and  "  over"  are  implied  in  yV. 
The  absence  of  Makkepli  cannot  be  the  reason  that  |2  and 
13  are  pointed  with  Tsere,  for  the  word  with  MaJipach,  e.g.  at 
xvii.  1 7,  is  equally  pointed  i^  without  Makkeph  ;  the  point- 
ing takes  1 2  as  a  plur.,  rii33  branch,  as  fem.,  and  n'i3=n^3  (with 


GENKSIS  XLIX.  2.",  21.  303 

dth  for  ath  as  in  riby  Lev.  xxv.  21,  ri")-pT  and  the  like)  as  an 
adj.  to  it  (Targ.  riashliam  :  a  growing  son,  rtaslii :  a  noble 
son),  which  is  linguistically  impossible.  The  connection  is 
genitival  (hence  n~^"I?),  son  of  a  fruit-tree  (^nnb,  Isa.  xvii.  G, 
of  the  olive  tree,  usually  of  the  vine).  In  India  also  daughters 
and  branches  are  interchangeable  words  (Roberts,  Oriental 
Illustrations,  p.  55).  Aeschylus,  Ocd.  Col.  701,  calls  the 
olive  tree  7raiBoTp6(f)o<;  with  respect  to  its  fruits.  The  sing. 
•^7^^  comprises  in  a  whole  the  branches,  which  are  compared 
to  daughters  (comp.  Zech.  vi.  14,  John  i.  20).  We  can 
hardly  entertain  the  notion  that  irc'  is  in  some  way  con- 
nected with  -\yc'  a  bullock,  the  emblem,  according  to  Deut. 
xxxiii.  17,  of  Joseph  {DMZ.  xxiv.  539,  see  Volck,  Scgcn 
Mose's,  on  this  passage).  On  the  other  hand,  Ps.  Ixxx.  16  is 
not  out  of  relation ;  for  Ps.  Ixxx.  is,  as  it  were,  a  commentary 
on  the  comparison  of  Joseph  to  a  young  vine.  Who  is  to 
be  understood  by  the  rns  the  fruit-tree,  whether  Pachel  or 
Jacob  or  all  Israel,  is  not  the  question  ;  ms  p  is  a  per- 
ceptibly indivisible  image.  Luth.  translates :  J)ie  TocJifer 
tretten  ein  her  im  Ecgiment  (of  the  daughter  cities  of  the 
two  tribes  of  Joseph),  which,  even  if  it  were  "lib'  instead  of 
"rx^,  would  be  linguistically  impossible.  What  now  follows 
is  no  retrospect  to  the  past  experiences  of  Joseph,  the  warlike 
imagery  being  inappropriate  to  express  Joseph's  victory  over 
the  persecutions  he  endured  both  at  home  and  in  Egypt.  The 
historical  tenses  express  something  future,  which  is  present 
to  the  mind  of  the  patriarch  as  an  accomplished  fact,  vv. 
23,  24:  The  archers  sorely  2'>ursuc  him  and  shoot  at  him  and 
make  icar  vpon  him.  But  his  how  rcmaius  in  firmness  and  the 
arms  of  his  hands  move  nimhly  hj  the  hands  of  the  Miyhty  One 
of  Jacob,  from  thence,  the  shepherd,  the  stone  of  Israel.  The 
LXX,  Sam.  translate  ^13"))  from  3n  to  make  war,  but  ^^^i 
from  ^ii"),  a  VV  mid.  0.  like  nt  Isa.  i.  G,  and  i!3h  Job  xxiv.  24, 
Ges.  §  67,  note  1,  is  more  significant,  in'^^  is  equivalent 
to  in*N  Dip^3  at  a  place  of  firmness,  from  which  he  neither 


394  GENESIS  XLIX.  23,  24. 

swerves   nor  falls.     HB  is    the   same   as    the   Arab.   -^  to  he 

nimble,  active.  His  arms  are  called  the  "  arms  of  his  hands," 
as  ruling  his  hands  and  imparting  to  them  elasticity  and 
energy  (comp.  Ps.  xliv.  3).  Luther  already  remarks  on  vy3 
C'Sfn  :  ]io8  viros  sagittao^um  intclligo  non  tribum  Juda,  ut  alii. 
tolunt  (the  Midrash  understands  it,  according  to  Ts.  cxx.  3, 
of  his  slanderous  brethren)  scd  Syros,  qui  vchemcnter  afflixerunt 
hoc  rcgnum  et  fucrunt  insigncs  sagittarii ;  we  have  indeed  to 
think  chiefly,  but  not  exclusively,  of  the  Syrians.  In  "i''3S  '"Tp 
'i^l  2'pi[,!,  '"'^"'^  is  inconvenient.  Olsh.  approves  of  Lagarde's  con- 
jecture nc'b.  As  the  words  stand,  the  p  of  '•T'n  designates 
the  cause  or  source  of  this  invincible  defence :  from  the 
hands  of  the  3pj;>  T3N  (a  Divine  name  occurring  also  in  Isa. 
and  Ps.  cxxxii.),  these  hands  strengthening  and  supporting  his 
(Joseph's)  hands.  The  terms  that  follow  are  permutative : 
from  thence  (D^'P,  i.e.  from  God,  like  ^'^  Eccles.  iii.  17,  with 
God,  hence,  according  to  the  meaning,  avwOev) :  the  shepherd 
(xlviii.  15,  comp.  the  eclio  of  this  Ps.  Ixxx.  1),  the  stone  (1?^', 
as  elsewhere  n^iv ;  the  immoveable  foundation  and  protection) 
of  Israel.  The  Syr.  reads  DG'p,  according  to  which  Oettli  * 
proposes  :  ^^yf  "•.  "1"'^^'  nj;'-i  ct'p,  but  this  Cit:'"p  (from  the  name  = 
the  disclosed  fulness  of  strength)  is  without  analogy,  and 
^NiD""  }3X  as  a  bold  variation  leaning  on  bs'ib'^  "iiv  (2  Sam. 
xxiii.  3,  comp.  Isa.  viii.  14)  must  be  esteemed  possible.  Luther 
translates  :  aus  jenen  (the  Josephite  tribes)  siyid  komcn  Hirtcn 
und  Stcinc  in  Israel,  i.e.  great  rulers  and  prophets.  But  the 
rulers  of  a  people  are  called  shields,  pillars  and  the  like,  not 
stones.  The  moderns  see  in  2pj;^  "I'^x,  which  they  translate 
the  "  ox  of  Jacob,"  an  after  influence  of  the  ancient  Semitic 
worship  of  the  ox,  as  in  ^xib"*  px  of  the  ancient  Semitic 
worship  of  stone  fetishes  or  baetylia,  but  the  appellations  are 
in  no  need  of  such  intervention  by  the  history  of  religions. 
Ancient  Jewish  explanations  already  attempt  to  make  h^'iv  px 

^  Theol.  Zeilschr.  aus  d.  Schuxiz  von  FrieJr.  Weili,  1885,  p.  147  sqf[. 


GENESIS  XLIX.  25,  2i>.  395 

dependent  as  an  ol)j.  on  nyn;  so  does  Dilhnann,  wlio,  reading  nj;\ 
explains  'with  Herd.  E\v.  :  Shepherd  of  the  stone  of  Israel, 
which  would  be  equivalent  to  the  God  of  Bethel — very 
improbable,  since  "'iil- ?;?  ought  in  this  sense  to  stand  instead 
of  the  misleading  ni'h.  The  blessing  now  turns  from  the 
descriptive  to  the  supplicatory  tone,  the  p,  referring  to  the 
cause  in  the  former  sentence,  still  at  first  continuing,  ver.  25  : 
By  the  God  of  thy  father — may  He  help  thee — and  with  Shaddai 
— viay  He  bless  thee,  ivith  hlessinys  of  heaven  above,  blessings  of 
the  deejy  conehing  beneath,  blessings  of  the  breast  and  of  the  ivomb. 
It  is  unnecessary,  either  with  E\v.  §  351a,  Dillm.  and  others,  to 
alter,  according  to  the  LXX,  Syr.  Sam.  Vulg.,  the  nt^i,  used  as 
at  iv.  1,  V.  24,  into  b^\  or,  with  Kn.,  into  nxp,  or  to  take  it 
under  the  after  inlluence  of  the  IP  (comp.  Isa.  xlviii.  9,  14, 
xlix.  7,  and  perhaps  liii.  8)  in  the  sense  of  rixp^ ;  for  "  by  the 
God  of  thy  father  "  and  "with  Shaddai"  (used  instead  of  ^^^  bs 
only  again  in  the  I'ent.  in  the  sayings  of  Btdaam)  continues 
the  thought  of  whence  and  in  whose  fellowship  the  bow  and 
arms  of  Joseph  would  be  so  invincibly  strong ;  piTI  is 
developed  in  the  ace.  which  follows  (comp.  ver.  28).  The 
combination  ^Vp  cypc'  is  like  xxvii.  39,  Ps.  1.  4.  Puiin  and 
dew  from  above,  springs  and  moisture  from  beneath,  shall 
shed  their  fertilizing  powers  on  Joseph's  territory,  and  his 
cattle  shall  never  fail  in  productiveness  and  abundance  of 
milk.  It  is  superabundance  which  Jacob  desires  for  Joseph, 
ver.  26  :  The  blessings  of  thy  father  tower  above  the  blessings  of 
my  'parents  even  to  the  boundary  of  the  everlasting  hills,  may  they 
come  upon  the  head  of  Joseph  and  npon  the  crown  of  the  illustri- 
ous among  his  brethren.  The  LXX  already  combines  ny  nin, 
and  the  Sam.  translates  ^V^  /Tl'^^^  ^'^^  '>'\'\'Q=TJ  nn) ;  a 
varying  translation  of  Targ.  III.  combines  parents  and 
hills  in  "•iin  ("  above  the  blessings  with  which  Abraham  and 
Isaac,  who  were  like  tlie  hills  ^^J"]''^?  Tr'^OP'l,  were  blessed"); 
and  Piashbam,  like  S.  J.  liapoport  (on  Freund's  Hiilfsbuch, 
1866),  takes  'T^  as  a  collective  plural  like  'lin  ^£VJ'n  in  the 


396  GENESIS  XLIX.  26. 

meaning  hills.  Since  however  hor  appears  elsewhere  only  in 
proper  names  as  a  dialectic  form,  we  must  adopt  the  view 
that  ""lin  is  either  softened  or  miswritten  from  ^'}'}^_  (as  perhaps 
''-m  Ps.  xcii.  12  is  from  "•"^'^t^).  That  ly  nin  is  meant  for 
"  everlasting  hills  "  (Ges.  Win.  Tuch,  Kn.  Dillm.  and  others) 
is  certainly,  as  supported  by  Deut,  xxxiii.  15,  comp.  Hab. 
iii.  6,  very  probable.  In  the  text  as  we  have  it  C'lin  means 
parentes,  in  which  sense  it  is  common  in  post-biblical  and 
also  in  biblical  Hebrew,  as  niin  mother  (Cant.  iii.  4,  Hos. 
ii.  7)  shows  (comp.  Arab,  ummdni,  probably  both  mothers  = 
parents) ;  and  '^)'^'^,  which  elsewhere  means  concupisccyitia 
(from  nis),  may  be  taken  in  the  sense  of  terminus  (from  njs 
Num.  xxxiv.  10  =  n>{n  Num.  xxxiv.  7  sq.,  nw  l  Sara.  xxi.  14, 
Ezek.  ix.  4).  According  to  this  traditional  text,  the  patriarch 
intends  to  say,  that  he  so  far  surpasses  the  blessings  bestowed 
on  him  by  his  parents,  in  his  blessings  of  Joseph,  that  the 
latter  tower  above  the  former  like  the  highest  summits  of  the 
everlasting  hills — but  wherein  did  this  superabundance  con- 
sist ?  Here  the  answer  is  wanting.  But  if  we  read  ny  '•-nn, 
mxn  deprived  of  the  prep,  nj;  will  now  mean  not  the  boundary 
mark,  but  as  the  parallel  word  to  nb"i2,  will  (without  our 
needing,  with  Olsh.,  to  correct  it  to  the  equally  plural  niX3n) 
mean  the  charm,  i.e.  the  charming  endowment  "  of  the  ever- 
lasting hills  "  with  all  that  is  beautiful,  enjoyable  and  useful, 
a  meaning  confirmed  by  Deut.  xxxiii.  15  (Q^iy  my2J  1^12^^), 
and  the  sense  will  be,  that  the  blessings  which  Jacob  inherited 
far  exceeded  the  bestowal  of  an  elevated  and  excellent  hill- 
country,  M'hich  is  also  confirmed  by  xxvii.  2  7-29.  Eeuss 
rightly  says :  La  MnMidion  morale  du  patriarche  vaut  encore 
mieux  que  la  Mn4diction  materiellc  de  la  nature.  In  this  view 
^"133  is  understood  historically,  while  in  the  Masoretic  reading 
he  who  blesses  would  mean  tliat  he  is  now  grasping  at  a 
blessing  beyond  what  he  himself  received.  Thus,  however 
we  explain  it,  the  blessings  implored  upon  the  head  of 
Joseph,    on  the   crown  of  the  ">\I3   among  his  brethren,  are 


GENESIS  XLIX.  27.  397 

superabundant,  t'x^p  and  not  t;'X"i3  is  purposely  said,  because 
C'N13  (or  rXT!5j;)  is  the  usual  expression  for  the  coming  down 
of  a  curse  upon  the  head  of  some  one,  and  euro  for  the 
coming    down  of  a  blessing   (Deut.   xxxiii.    IG,    Trov.  x.   G^ 

xi.  2G).  ">V?  means  separated  (from  it:,  ,j,;),  and  the  ques- 
tion is,  whether  Joseph  is  here  and  at  Deut.  xxxiii.  IG  said  to 
separate  from  his  brethren  (Onk.  Pers.  Gr.-Ven.)  on  account 
of  his  chastity  and  self-denial,  and  thus  a  Nazir  in  the 
moral  sense  (Jer.  Saad.  Ar.-Sara.  Luth.),  or  on  account  of  his 
acquired  power  and  elevation  in  Egypt,  and  thus  as  a 
dedicated  one  =  prince  (Targ.  11.  and  III.  LXX),  unless  the 
word  in  this  sense  is  perhaps  combined  with  1.T3  diadem 
(Sam.  Syr.  Arnheim).  As  the  transference  of  this  word  to 
the  moral  region  in  general  is  not  to  be  proved,  nnj  desi<^- 
nates  Joseph  as  elevated  to  princely  rank,  and  as  by  means 
of  Ephraim  and  Manasseh  the  inheritor  of  this  precedence  in 
power  and  dignity. 

After  this  long  saying  concerning  the  blessing  of  Joseph,  in 
which  grateful  affection  struggles  for  utterance,  follows  all  the 
more  briefly  the  saying  concerning  Benjamin,  Joseph's  own 
brother  and  the  second  son  of  Rachel,  ver.  27  :  Bcnjaviin — a 
wolf  that  tears,  in  the  viorning  he  devours  the  prey  and  in  the 
evening  he  divides  the  spoil  The  comparison  with  the  raven- 
ing wolf  has  apparently  a  touch  of  moral  criticism,  as  that  of 
Issachar  with  the  bony  ass  has  a  touch  of  irony.  The  LXX 
translates  \vKo<i  dpira^;  but  ^19  ^^es  not  properly  mean  rapere, 
h\xt  carpcre,  and  according  to  the  context  decerpcrc  (viii.  11) 
or  discerpere  (xxxvii.  33).  ^79  ''^^  Num.  xxxiii.  2-1  may  be 
also  said  instead  of  "ly  ^3X,  for  what  has  been  torn  or  is  bein" 
torn  (bitten)  is  called  n'?.^-  The  Eathers  (since  Tertullian) 
have  dreamt  in  a  contrast  between  27a  and  21b,  but  mornin'^ 
and  evening  together  give  the  notion  of  incessant  victorious 
spoiling.  What  a  warlike  tribe  Benjamin  became  is  shown 
in  the  time  of  the  Judges  by  his  participation   in  the  contest 


398  GENESIS  XLIX.  28. 

for  freedom  under  Deborah,  Judg.  v.  14,  and  by  bis  war 
with  all  the  other  tribes,  waged  indeed  in  an  unrighteous 
cause,  Judg.  ch.  xx.  sq.  Ehud  the  judge  may  also  be  regarded 
as  an  example  of  tlie  warlike  character  of  this  small  tribe,  but 
above  all  King  Saul,  who  everywhere  appears  surrounded  by 
his  brave  and  armed  tribe  (1  Chron.  viii.  40,  xii.  2,  comp. 
2  Chron.  xiv.  7,  xvii.  17)  and  accompanied  by  his  heroic  son 
Jonathan,  and  whose  victorious  deeds  had  in  the  history  of 
Israel  the  significance  of  a  pioneer's. 

All  these  arc  the  tribes  of  Israel,  says  ver.  28  retrospectively, 
tiDclve,  and  this  is  what  their  father  spohe  unto  them  and  blessed 
them,  eaeh  with  what  was  conformahle  tcith  his  blessing  he  blessed 
them.  The  interpunctuation  of  28a  is  correct,  "^'fV  ^^p,^  is 
brought  in  afterwards,  "together  twelve."  In  28b  the  circum- 
stantial  expression  "  with  what  was  conformable  with  his  bless- 
ing" appears  strange,  perhaps  "iti's  is  corrupted  from  t:^''^  (Olsh.)  : 
man  by  man  according  to  his  blessing  (that  appertaining  to 
him),  compare  the  erroneous  "l:^'X  corrected  in  the  Iveri,  2  Sam. 
xxiii.  21,  Num.  xxi.  30.  This  closing  verse  is  in  the  style  of 
Q  (comp.  i.  27,  Num.  i.  44).  That  it  excludes  Q  as  the 
narrator  of  the  twelve  sayings  (Kn.  Dillm.)  is  without  founda- 
tion— the  retrospect  assumes  that  the  sayings  concerning 
Reuben,  Simeon  and  Levi  conceal  blessings  behind  the  form 
of  curses.  There  are  twelve  tribes,  not  thirteen,  for  the 
double  tribe  of  Joseph  is  reckoned  as  one,  as  at  Deut.  xxvii. 
12,  comp.  xxxiii.  13.  More  frequently  however,  e.g.  Num. 
ch.  i.  sq.,  xiii.,  Ezek.  xlvii.  13,  xlviii.  4  sq.,  Ephraim  and 
Manasseh  are  counted  as  two  tribes,  and  the  number  twelve 
maintained,  by  the  tribe  of  Levi,  which  as  the  priestly  tribe 
was  scattered  among  all  the  rest  without  separate  territory, 
solid  unity,  or  political  importance,  being  left  unmentioned 
and  unrepresented.  There  are  however  other  computations 
which  seem  strange.  In  the  blessing  of  Moses,  Deut.  xxxiii., 
Simeon  is  passed  over,  and  the  number  twelve  made  up  by 
the  double  tribe  of  Joseph  counting  as  two  and  Levi  being 


GENESIS  XL;X.  20-33.  399 

expressly  reckoned.  And  in  the  prophecy  of  Ahijali,  1  Kings 
ch.  xi.,  where  the  one  tribe  which  is  left  to  the  house  of  David 
is  the  tribe  of  Jiidah,  the  ten  tribes  are  thus  made  up,  Levi  is 
left  out  of  consideration,  and  Benjamin,  which  partly  by  territory 
and  entirely  by  inclination  belonged  to  the  northern  kingdom, 
is  added  (Kohler,  Gcsch.  ii.  457)  to  Ephraim,  Manasseh, 
Issachar,  Zebulun,  Naphtali,  Asher,  Gad,  lieuben  and  Dan  ; 
the  tribe  of  Simeon,  which  never  had  a  settled  territory  and 
remained  without  political  independence,  being  left  out  of  the 
computation.  The  number  twelve  in  like  manner  results  in 
the  Apocalypse  ch.  vii.,  but  here  Simeon  is  specified,  and  on 
the  other  hand  Dan  is  enigmatically  passed  over.  Everywhere 
twelve  remains  undiminished  and  unexceeded  as  the  sign 
manual  of  the  covenant  people. 

Jacob's  last  request  and  his  departure,  vv.  29-33  :  And  Ice 
charged  them,  and  said  to  them :  I  shall  soon  he  gathered  to 
my  peoijle,  hury  me  with  my  fathers  in  the  cave  which  is  in  the 
field  of  Ephron  the  Hittite,  in  the  cave  which  is  in  the  field  of 
^fachjJclah,  ivhieh  is  in  front  of  Mamre  in  the  land  of  Canaan, 
icliich  Alraham  bought  together  with  the  field  from  Fjjhron  the 
Hittite  for  a  possession  of  a  hurying-place.  There  they  buried 
Abraham  and  Sarah  his  wife,  there  they  buried  Isaac  and  Ecbckah 
his  wife,  and  there  I  buried  Leah. — T lie  field  bought  and  the  cave 
therein  from  the  sons  of  lleth.  And,  xohen  Jacob  made  an  end 
of  charging  his  sons,  he  dreio  his  feet  into  the  bed  and  dcpiarted, 
and  icas  gathered  to  his  p)copIc.  The  sentence  'lil  "3p  i^'X,  in 
which  "Tlti'nTix  is  antecedently  intended,  is  defended  from  the 
suspicion  of  being  a  gloss  by  I.  12  where  it  is  repeated;  but 
ver.  32,  which  joins  with  nothing,  is  a  marginal  note  in 
explanation  of  "the  cave  with  the  field"  ?jOh  which  has  been 
admitted  into  the  text;  it  shows  at  the  same  time  that  all  the 
three  nc'X  in  ver.  30  are  meant  to  refer  to  the  cave.  It  is 
here  expressly  said  that  Isaac,  Rebekah  and  Leah  had  been 
buried  in  the  cave  of  Macphelah.  He  must  renounce  lying 
near  Eachel,  because  the  neighbourhood  of  her  grave  was  still 


4  00  GENESIS  L.  1-3. 

in  the  bands  of  the  Canaanites.  His  drawins?  his  feet  into 
the  bed  refers  back  to  xlviii.  2,  although  his  sitting  up,  as 
there  mentioned,  need  not  necessarily  be  conceived  as  con- 
tinuing beyond  xlix.  1.  On  "I'sy'pN  pids''i  see  on  xxv.  8.  He 
died  in  full  consciousness,  without  a  struggle,  comforted  by 
the  hope  of  the  salvation  of  Jahveh,  willingly  passing  into 
another  world  to  join  his  fellow-ancestors  of  that  people  for 
whom  he  knows  this  salvation  of  Jahveh  was  intended,  and 
hiding  in  him  his  personality,  as  that  of  which  he  could  not 
be  deprived.  It  is  intentionally  that  the  brief  nn""!  is  omitted, 
the  last  moments  of  the  ancestor  of  Israel  are  kept  back 
as  long  as  possible,  the  reader  is  to  see  and  feel  that  he 
departs  from  this  world  in  a  manner  consistent  with  his  piety 
and  dignity.  We  already  know  from  xlvii.  28  the  length  of 
his  life  in  this  world. 


THE  BURIAL  OF  JACOB  AND  DEATH  OF  JOSEPH,  CH.  L. 

It  is  evident  from  the  junction  of  12  sq.  with  xlix.  29  sqq. 
{Q)  and  of  ver.  4  ('iJl  ^?T1)-11  with  xlvii.  29  sqq.  («/),  as  well 
as  from  the  similar  kind  of  statement  in  vv.  19,  23  and  xxx. 
2  sq.  {E),  that  R  has  here  brought  together  the  three  main 
sources,  but  no  certain  separation  into  J  and  E  can  be  carried 
out,  especially  since  judgment  is  divided  as  to  xxxiii.  18-20, 
and  the  use  of  the  Divine  name  here  (comp.  the  introd.  to 
ch.  xlv.)  affords  no  support.  In  the  closing  portion  too,  ver. 
1 5  sqq.,  which  is  by  general  acknowledgment  traced  to  E, 
much  is  also  found  which  is  Jahvistico-Deuteronomic,  and 
which  we  could  not  set  to  the  account  of  7?. 

Joseph  with  the  corpse  of  his  father,  ver.  1  :  And  Joficph 
fdl  vpon  Ids  father  s  face,  and  ivept  upon  lain  and  Jdssed  him. 
Thus  was  fulfilled  the  promise,  xlvi.  4.  The  embalming, 
vv.  2,  3  :  A7id  Joseph  commanded  his  servants,  the  physicians, 
to  embalm  his  father,  and  the  physicians  embalmed  Israel. 
And  forty  days  were  passed  thereat,  for  so  long  is  the  time  of 


GENESIS  L.  4-6.  401 

embalming  accustomed  to  last,  and  tlie  Egyptians  mourned  for 
him  seventy  days.  The  physicians  (LXX  ivTa(pia(Trai  = 
rapfx^MTat)  are  called  Joseph's  W12]},  not  because  they  belonged 
to  a  caste  subordinate  to  him,  the  priest  (for  a  caste  of 
physicians  was  probably  first  found  under  Psammetichus), 
but  because  physicians  in  his  private  service  are  intended; 
moreover  it  was  the  subordinate  priestly  class  of  the  pastophori 
(Egypt,  the  Kolchyti)  who,  being  according  to  Clem.  Alex. 
in  possession  of  the  last  six  (medical)  of  the  forty-two  so- 
called  Hermetic  books,  performed  the  embalming  and  burial 
of  corpses  and  the  worship  of  the  dead  in  the  grave  chapels. 
These  executed  the  embalming  (^''^P.^H)  in  the  customary  forty 
days,  and  the  Egyptians  mourned  for  the  dead  seventy  days 
(these  forty  included).  Diodor.  i.  91  reckons  more  than 
forty  days  for  embalming  (another  reading  is  thirty) ;  Herodot. 
ii.  86,  88  exactly  seventy;  the  shortest  delay,  if  the  greatest 
possible  haste  was  made,  would  have  been  forty.  The  corpse 
was  opened  by  an  incision  in  the  side,  the  intestines  and  the 
brain  were  taken  out  and  separately  preserved  in  vessels 
(canopi).  The  drying  (mummyizing  ^)  of  the  body  was  pro- 
moted by  the  insertion  of  bituminous  material,  it  was  wrapped 
in  numerous  bandages  and  layers  of  byssus  or  linen,  and,  after 
remaining  seventy  days  in  the  house  of  those  to  whom  it 
belonged,  was  enclosed  in  a  coffin  and  buried. 

Pharaoh's  permission  to  bury  the  dead  out  of  the  country 
obtained,  vv.  4-6  :  When  the  days  of  mourning  for  him  were 
passed,  Joscjyh  spoke  to  the  house  of  Pharaoh  saying :  If  I  have 
found  grace  in  your  eyes,  speak,  I  pray  you,  in  the  ears  of 
Pharaoh  saying :  My  father  m^ie  me  swear,  saying :  Behold,  I 
die — in  my  grave  which  I  have  digged  for  myself  in  the  land  of 
Canaan,  there  shall  thou  hury  me.  And  now  I  woidd  go  up 
and  hury  my  father  and  return  again.     And  Pharaoh  said : 

^  The  word  "  mummy,"  in  use  since  the  thirteenth  century,  is  derived  from  the 
Persian  mAm,  wax,  and  travelled  back  to  the  Persian  in  the  foreign  form  m&mia 
=  fi.i>vfiU  as  the  name  of  a  medical  remedy. 

VOL.  II.  2  C 


402  GENESIS  L.  7-11. 

Go  up  and  hury  thy  father  as  he  made  thee  swear.  The  form 
n^;3  (with  nw3  xxxv.  8)  is  like  ^'3'^  Num.  xxi.  29.  Joseph 
does  not  himself  go  at  once  to  Pharaoh,  but,  desiring  to  go 
out  of  the  country  with  all  his  family  and  a  great  retinue,  he 
first  seeks,  for  the  sake  of  avoiding  malicious  insinuations,  to 
dispose  Pharaoh's  surroundings  to  favour  his  request.  Besides, 
etiquette  forbade  him,  a  mourner  (and  therefore  unshorn  and 
unadorned),  to  appear  in  his  own  person  before  the  king. 
That  Joseph  makes  his  father  describe  the  grave  in  which  he 
desired  to  be  buried  as  prepared  by  himself,  is  an  abbreviation 
suited  to  the  brevity  of  the  communication.  The  verb  mD 
means  to  dig,  and  according  to  Deut.  ii.  6,  also  to  bury,  whence 
the  Syr.  Ai  o j  translates  {em%),  but  a  grave  being  spoken  of  "  I 
digged  "  (LXX,  Targ.  Jer.  Jerome,  Gr.  Ven.)  is  according  to  the 
custom  of  the  language  the  more  obvious,  and  is  confirmed  by 
2  Chron.  xvi.  14.  The  king  and  the  court  did  not  need  to 
be  acquainted  with  details,  and  Onk.  correctly  renders  the 
word  by  n^iprix  (I  have  prepared),  which  is  what  is  meant. 
The  escort  and  mourning  solemnity,  vv.  7-11  :  Then  Joseph 
went  up  to  hury  his  father,  and  tvith  him  went  tip  all  the 
servants  of  Pharaoh,  the  elders  of  his  house  and  all  tJie  elders 
of  the  land  of  Egypt.  And  the  whole  house  of  Joseph  and 
his  brethren  and  the  house  of  his  father,  only  their  little  ones 
and  their  flocks  and  herds  they  left  in  the  land  of  Goshen. 
And  there  went  up  ivith  him  both  chariots  and  horsemen,  and 
the  host  was  a  very  imposing  one.  Wlien  they  were  come  to  the 
threshing-floor  of  Atad,  which  is  beyond  Jordan,  they  made 
there  a  great  and  very  imposing  mourning  solemnity,  and  he 
ordered  a  mourning  of  seven  days  for  his  father.  And  when 
the  inhabitants  of  the  land,  the  Canaanites,  saw  the  mourning 
in  the  threshing-floor  of  Atad,  they  said :  This  is  a  great  mourn- 
ing of  the  Egijptians,  therefore  they  called  the  name  of  it  Abel- 
Mizraim,  which  is  beyond  Jordan.  The  principal  courtiers 
and  state  officials  journeyed  with  him,  to  show  the  last  respect 
to  the  father  of  the  chief  ruler  of  Egypt  C.^i?^  is  here  a  name 


GENESIS  L.  7-11.  403 

of  dignity,  as  at  xxiv.  2).  Chariots  and  horsemen  (comp, 
Ex.  xiv.  9,  XV.  19,  and  above  on  xii.  16)  enhanced  the  pomp 
and  served  as  escort.  It  was  a  very  great,  i.e.  imposing  i^.^nD. 
They  took  the  indirect  route  through  the  wilderness  round 
the  Dead  Sea,  because  they  desired,  without  touching  upon 
Philistia  and  Idumea,  to  shorten  as  much  as  possible  the 
passage  through  foreign  and  mistrustful  states.  They  halted 
in  Goren-Atad  (^^^5  a  thorn  pdf^vo<i,  as  Dioscorides  explains  it, 
and  pa  gathering-place,  viz.  of  the  corn  for  threshing)  beyond 
Jordan,  and  Joseph  there  ordered  a  seven  days'  mourning  for 
his  father.  The  place  was  afterwards  called,  in  allusion,  as 
the  narrator  thinks,  to  this  mourning  (^???)  of  the  Egyptians, 
^P-yP  ^?^,  the  plain  of  the  Egyptians.  V.  Eaumer,  Eitter,  Kn. 
and  others  are  indeed  of  opinion  that  this  Goren-Atad  is  said 
to  have  lain  n")*n  "i3yn  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  funeral 
procession,  and  so  on  the  west  side  of  Jordan,  as  required  by 
the  statement  of  Jerome :  Area  Atad  locus  trans  Jordanem, 
in  quo  planxerunt  quondam  Jacob,  tertio  ah  Hicrico  lapide, 
duohus  milihus  ah  Jordane,  qui  nunc  vocatur  Betagla,  quod 
interprctatur  locus  gyri,  eo  qiiod  ibi  more  plangcntium  cir- 
cumierint  in  funere  Jacob.  The  trans  Jordanem  here  can 
only  be  a  quotation  from  this  passage,  for  the  distance  stated 
points  to  the  western  side,  where  was  the  ancient  '^/fi'^"n"'3, 
situate  on  the  southern  boundary  of  Benjamin  toward  Judah, 
whose  position  has  been  ascertained  by  the  discovery  of  the 
well  and  castle  of  Hagla  f  of  a  league  south  -  east  of 
Jericho  and  1^^  leagues  from  the  Dead  Sea.  Not  equally 
certain  however  is  the  identity  asserted  by  Jerome  of  Area 
Atad  and  Betagla  (n^jn-JT'zi)  in  his  possible  indeed,  but  in 
this  instance  far-fetched  interpretation  of  nbin  (which  means 
partridge),  by  ggriis  (circular  motion).  This  might  be 
reconcilable  with  ver.  10,  where  \i-\''n  -\2V2  may  proceed 
from  the  view  -  point  of  the  funeral  procession,  but  not 
with  ver.  11,  according  to  which  pi^n  naya  "icx  DnvD  ^3X, 
the  plain   of    Egypt   on   the    other    side    of  Jordan,  became 


404  GENESIS  L.  12-15. 

the  usual  name  of  the  locality  (X"ip  J3"?y,  as  at  xxxiii.  17). 
Hence  we  must  regard  Goren  Atad  or  Abel  Mizraim  as  some 
place  unknown  on  the  east  of  Jordan,  to  which  the  attention 
of  the  Canaanites,  the  inhabitants  of  the  country  (on  this 
side),  which  was  the  goal  of  the  journey,  was  attracted  by  the 
unusual  mourning  solemnity  performed  by  so  many  dis- 
tinguished foreigners.  Conclusion  of  the  funeral  journey 
from  Q,  vv.  12,  13  :  And  his  sons  did  to  him  as  he  had  com- 
manded them,  and  his  sons  brought  him  to  the  land  of  Canaan 
and  buried  him  in  the  cave  of  the  field  of  Maclipclah,  which 
Abraham  bought  together  ivith  the  field  for  a  possession  of  a 
burying-plaee  of  Ephron  the  nittite  before  Mamre.  From  the 
floor  of  Atad  the  procession  passed  over  Jordan  by  the  most 
southerly  of  its  three  fords,  situate  below  the  sea  of  Tiberias 
(the  upper  of  which  was  at  Beisan,  the  middle  one  from 
Nablus  to  Salt,  the  lower  at  Gilgal),  to  bring  the  patriarch,  in 
accordance  with  his  last  will,  to  Canaan,  and  they  buried  him 
there  in  the  hereditary  grave,  which  undisputedly  belonged 
to  him.  The  abrupt  VJ3  12a  shows  that  the  brief  narrative 
in  Q  was  thus  continued  in  adjunction  to  xlix.  33.  The 
blending  with  JE,  as  it  is  before  us,  states,  what  is  besides 
obvious,  that  the  transference  of  Jacob  to  Hebron  was  per- 
formed by  his  sons  alone,  the  Egyptian  retinue  being  left 
behind. 

Eeturn  from  the  burial,  ver.  14  :  And  Joseph  returned  to 
Egypt,  he  and  his  brethren  and  all  that  went  up  with  him  to 
bury  his  father,  after  he  had  buried  his  father.  It  is  the  text 
of  J,  in  which  Joseph,  as  was  according  to  xlvii.  30  sq,  to  be 
expected,  is  the  chief  figure  in  the  burying.  The  anxiety  of 
the  brethren,  ver.  1 5  :  IVhcn  then  Joseph's  brethren  saw  that 
their  father  was  dead,  they  said :  If  now  Jose:ph  should  treat  us 
as  enemies  and  should  requite  us  all  the  evil  which  we  did  to 
him !  The  narrative  here  proceeds  according  to  E  with 
assistance  from  J.  It  is  a  hypothetical  sentence  in  the  tone 
of  an  exclamation  (here  beginning  with  ^  as  Ps.  xxvii  with 


GENESIS  L.  lC-21.  405 

N.fv),  in  which  is  latent  the  apodosis :  what  would  then 
become  of  us  ?  Deputation  of  intermediaries  to  Joseph, 
vv.  16,  17:  And  they  sent  a  message  to  Joseph  saying  :  Thy 
father  commanded  hefore  his  death  saying :  Tlivs  speah  ye  to 
Joseph:  Forgive,  I  pray  thee,  the  crime  of  thy  hrethren  and  their 
sin,  for  they  did  evil  to  thee,  and  now,  we  pray  thee,  forgive  the 
crime  of  the  servants  of  the  God  of  thy  father.  And  Joseph 
wept  when  they  spake  to  him.  Certainly  their  father  would 
not  once  only,  but  often,  have  impressed  upon  them  this  duty 
in  the  case  of  his  death,  and  at  the  same  time  have  allayed 
their  anxiety  by  such  counsel.  There  is  no  need  for  sup- 
posing that   this  was  expressly  related   in  either  E  or  JE. 

N=)X  has  Pazer  on  the  tone  syllable  and  Munach  on  the  pen- 
ultima  instead  of  the  countertone  Metheg ;  in  Ex.  xxxii.  3 1 
also  (the  only  passage  of  the  Pent,  where  it  occurs  in  J 
besides  here)  it  has  emphatic  double  accentuation  (Konig, 
Lehrgel).  i.  678  sq.).  On  Nb'3  with  a  dative  obj.  comp.  xviii. 
24,  26.  In  the  n^P.  which  follows  is  inserted  the  foundation 
for  their  request,  viz.  the  oneness  of  his  and  their  God.  It 
was  with  tears  that  Joseph  received  their  message,  and  they 
now  come  themselves,  vv.  18-21  :  Then  went  also  his  hrethren 
and  fell  down  hefore  him  and  said :  Behold,  we  will  he  thy  slaves. 
But  Joseph  said  to  them :  Fear  not,  for  am  I  in  the  p)lace  of 
Elohim .?  You  meant  irideed  evil  against  me,  hut  Elohim  meant 
it  for  good,  to  do  as  it  is  this  day,  to  ^?resc?'rc  a  great  nation 
alive.  Nov)  then  fear  ye  not :  I — /  ivill  nourish  you  and  your 
family.  Thus  he  comforted  them  and  spoke  to  their  heart. 
The  question  '^^^  ^^O^.i!?  ^iI'Dn  meant  at  xxx.  2  :  have  I  the 
power,  here:  have  I  the  right,  to  interpose  in  God's  dispen- 
sation, and  both  times :  am  I  not  bound  to  submit  to  God  ? 
The  form  of  the  iif.  constr.  nb'y  is  like  '"'i^'l  xlviii.  11,  comp. 
nni  xlvi.  3.  The  promise  'l3"i  -5???^  sounds,  if  we  compare  xlv. 
11,  xlvii.  12,  as  if  the  famine  were  still  continuing,  but  what 
had  occurred  once  might  occur  again,  even  if  not  for  so  great 


406  GENESIS  L.  22-20. 

a  length  of  time ;  hence  it  is  unnecessary  to  ascribe  to  ^  a 
different  chronology  (Kn.  Dillm.) ;  besides,  the  narrator  here 
may  just  as  well  be  J  as  E,  for  it  is  not  certain  that  xlv.  7  is 
from  E,  comp.  nvnn^  xix.  19,  nynj;  Num.  xxi.  6,  3^"by  "13T 
xxxiv.  3,  and  n^n  Di>3  Deut.  ii.  30,  iv.  20  and  frequently, 
for  the  style  of  J,  especially  here,  is  the  nascent  style 
of  B.  Eemainder  of  Joseph's  life,  his  last  will  and  his 
burying,  vv.  22—26  :  And  Joseph  remained  in  EgTjpt,  he  and 
the  house  of  his  father,  and  Joseph  lived  an  hundred  and  ten 
years,  and  Joseph  saw  the  sons  of  Ephraim  of  the  third  genera- 
tion ;  the  sons  also  of  Machir,  the  son  of  Manasseh,  were  horn 
tqjon  Joseph's  knees.  And  Joseph  said  to  his  hrethren :  I  die, 
and  Elohim  will  certainly  visit  you  and  hring  you  up  out  of 
this  land  into  the  land  which  He  sware  to  Abraham,  Isaac  and 
Jacob.  And  Joseph  took  oath  of  the  sons  of  Israel  saying : 
Elohim  will  visit,  yea  visit  you,  and  ye  shall  bring  up  my  bones 
hence.  And  Joseph  died  an  hundred  and  ten  years  old,  and 
they  embalmed  him,  and  they  put  him  in  a  coffin  in  Egypt. 
The  sons  of  Machir,  the  son  of  Manasseh  (Num.  xxvi.  28  sq.), 
are  the  great-grandsons  of  Joseph,  hence  Q*P'?^  \^?  do  not 
mean  children  of  the  third  generation  to  the  exclusion  of  the 
ancestor,  i.e.  great-great-grandsons  (=D''J?in),  but  great-grand- 
sons, so  that  Ci''"^w  is  not  a  proper  but  an  appositional  genitive 
(Tuch,  Kn.  Dillm.).  The  question,  why  it  is  not  also  stated 
through  which  of  the  sons  of  Ephraim  (Num.  xxvi.  35)  it  was 
that  Joseph  became  a  great-grandfather,^  is  settled  by  the 
circumstance,  that  none  of  the  sons  of  Ephraim  were  equal  in 
historical  importance  to  Machir,  the  son  of  Manasseh  (see 
Num.  xxxii.  39  sq.,  Deut.  iii.  15).  To  be  born  on  any  one's 
knees  is  equivalent  to  being  received  into  his  or  her  bosom 
with  paternal  or  maternal  joy  (xxx.  3).  On  the  fulfilment  of 
what  Joseph  caused  to  be  promised  to  him  with  an  oath,  see 
Ex.  xiii.   9,  Josh.  xxiv.  32.     After  ^t^^n^l  with  the  unnamed 

^  Started  and  answered  in  a  needlessly  circuitous  manner  in  Lion  Gomperz' 
Nachgelassenen  Schrifien  (Wien,  Lijipe  1S87). 


GENESIS  L.  22-  2f5.  407 

subject  of  the  persons  employed  (see  on  xli.  14),  the  sing. 
D^"|il  with  a  similarly  general  subject  is  harsh  (comp.  however 
xliii.  34,  xlviii.  1  sq.),  and  a  Ke^-i  D^TI  would  have  been  still 
better  applied  here  than  at  xxiv.  33  (Konig,  Lchrgch.  i. 
435    sq.).      He    was    embalmed    and    laid    Qn^»•rpn  ;iiN3.     A 

stone  coffin  is  still  called  J\j^^  ( J^l ),  in  Bedouin  Jj,  which 

also  occurs,  written  wis,  in  Hauranian  inscriptions  {DMZ. 
xxii.  264).  It  is  here,  as  the  article  shows,  the  sarcophagus 
in  common  use  in  Egypt,  which  might  consist,  like  that  of 
Mycerinus  discovered  in  the  third  pyramid,  of  the  wood  of  the 
ficus  sycomoonis,  but  was  mostly  of  stone,  frequently  of  porphyry, 
from  the  porphyry  quarries  still  to  be  seen  of  the  oasis  of 
Bethin  in  the  Sinaitic  peninsula.  The  Haggada  (in  the  Talmud, 
Midrash  and  Targum)  turns  it  into  a  metal  coffin,  which  was 
sunk  in  the  Nile  for  its  greater  security.^ 

Ci^jon  —  with  this  statement,  in  itself  self-comprehensible, 
in  its  connection  with  the  whole  subject  significant,  the  first 
book  of  the  Thorah  closes.  Israel  is  still  in  Egypt,  and  is 
there  in  full  process  of  growth  into  a  nation,  waiting  to 
be  brought  thence  according  to  promise.  "When  it  became 
free  from  bondage  and  entered  Canaan  there  entered  with 
it,  as  the  Talmud  frequently  reiterates,  two  niJliN,  the 
ark  of  the  ever-living  One  and  the  coffin  of  the  dead 
Joseph.  The  latter  was  now  standing  ready  for  conveyance, 
and  Jacob,  the  father  of  twelve  tribes,  was  already  buried  in 
the  Promised  Land.  The  impulse  of  faith  was  in  those  days 
towards  Canaan.  Canaan  was  then  the  present  form  of  the 
blessing  of  salvation.  Itself  of  an  earthly  nature,  it  acquired 
as  the  promised  gift  of  grace,  a  spiritual  and  to  a  certain  extent 
a  heavenly  character.  Buried  there,  the  patriarchs  believed 
that  they  rested  in  the  love  of  God.  Marching  thither,  Israel 
hoped  to  enter  into  the  peace  and  glory  of  God. 

^  See  J.    H.    Bondi,    Dem,  hebrdisch-phonizischen  Sprachziceige  angehoriije 
Lehnworter  in  hieroglyphischen  und  hicratischen  Texten  (18S6),  pp.  120-128. 


408  GENESIS  L.  22-26. 

The  primitive  history  began  with  the  formation  of  the 
heavens  and  the  earth  from  the  original  chaos,  the  patriarchal 
history  with  the  bringing  forth  of  Abraham  from  the  chaos  of 
the  heathen  world.  The  primitive  history  ended  in  the 
Semites  as  well  as  the  Japhethites  and  Hamites  being  sunk 
in  heathenism ;  the  patriarchal  history  ends  in  the  deliverer 
and  preserver  of  the  house  of  Jacob  being  placed  in  his  coffin. 
This  "  coffin  in  Egypt "  is  the  coffin  of  all  the  spiritual  joy  of 
Israel  in  Egypt.  The  deep  silence  of  history  settles  like 
a  dark  night  upon  the  succeeding  centuries.  During  these 
Israel  has  no  redemptive,  but  only  a  secular  history,  until  at 
last  the  hour  of  deliverance  strikes,  and  the  dumb  tongue  of 
history  again  begins  to  speak. 


END  OF  VOLUME  II. 


4> 


Date  Due 


BS1235.D356V.2 

A  new  commentary  on  Genesis 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary-Speer  Library 


